fiarlota 

&  Stetg  of 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


CARLOTA 


lioses  of 
If)  Series 


Each  I  vol.,  small  quarto,  illustrated  and  deco- 
rated in  colour.  $1.00 


The  Roses  of  Saint  Elizabeth 

Bv  JANE  SCOTT  WOODRUFF 

Gabriel  and  the  Hour  Book 

BY  EVALEEN   STEIN 

The  Enchanted  Automobile 

Translated  from  the  French  by 
MARY   J.  SAFFORD 

Pussy-Cat  Town 

BY  MARION  AMES  TAGGART 

O-Heart-San 

BY  HELEN  EGGLESTON  HASKELL 

Carlota 

BY  FRANCES  MARGARET  FOX 

* 

L.  C.  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

New  England  Building 
BOSTON,  MASS. 


"\X7HEN     EVERYTHING    WENT     ENTIRELY 

W  WRONG      MARY      LOUISE      THOUGHT 

LONGINGLY  OF  CARLOTA'S  MOTHER" 

(See  page  3) 


of  tfje  g>an  Gabriel 
Jflisfcum 


Author  of 

farmer  Brt>n-n  and  the  Sirds 
"  Little  Ludy  Marjoric,"  etc. 


Copyright,  19O8,  by 
i.  C.  PAGE  A    COMPANY 

(Incorporated) 


All  rights  reserved 


First  impression,  June,  19O8 


A   LITTLE   BOY   IN   CALIFORNIA 

WHOSE   NAME  IS 

PALMER   W1LLETS 


556863 


PREFATORY  NOTE 


To  my  Dear  Lee  Everett  Joslyn,  Jr.,  and 
his  Little  Brother  Alan,  "  Back  East " 
in  Michigan: 

OW  thankful  we  should  be  that  we 
are  not  living  in  the  year  1846, 
when  there  were  no  railroads  in 
the  great  Southwest.  In  those  days, 
wishing  to  tell  you  how  to  pronounce 
Spanish  names,  the  letter  wouldn't  reach 
you  for  months,  and  you  and  your  cousins, 
Ruth  and  Helen  Wilson,  the  "Club," 
Harold  Trumpour,  Helen  and  Anna 
Harmon,  little  Naomi  Hewitt,  John 
Stewart,  Wright  Hitchcock,  Paul  and 
Jay  Thompson,  and  ever  so  many  other 
special  friends  might  not  know  that  when 
Jimmy  called  himself  an  "Americano 
vii 


(||  PREFATORY  NOTE  Ife 

Muchacho  "  he  was  saying  "  American 
boy,"  and  that  the  word  "  Padre,"  pro- 
nounced "  pah-dray,"  means  "  father." 

Mail  was  carried  over  the  seas  in  1846, 
so  if  we  had  all  been  living  then,  Ruth 
and  William  Higgins,  Dorothy  Avery  and 
Elizabeth  Van  Praag,  those  dear  little 
children  "way  back  East,"  would  have 
known  about  Carlota  many  weeks  before 
you,  because  they  live  near  Boston. 

You  should  all  remember  that  the 
letter  "a"  in  Spanish  words  is  always 
pronounced  like  the  "a"  in  "father."  "e" 
has  the  sound  of  "a"  in  "day."  "i"  is 
pronounced  like  "e"  in  the  English  word 
"  me."  "  o  "  is  always  plain  round  "  O." 

The  DoiTa  Ysabel  did  n't  lose  her  neck- 
lace. It  was  at  home  in  her  jewel  box 
all  the  time.  She  was  mistaken  when 
she  thought  she  wore  it  the  last  day  of 
the  Round-up. 

Carlota's  father  and  mother  were  called 
the  Don  and  Dona  (you  must  say  "don- 
ya"  on  account  of  that  mark  over  the  "n") 
viii 


PREFATORY    NOTE 


because  they  were  pure  Castilians  — 
belonged  to  old  families  in  Spain. 

Isn't  it  strange  that  the  historians 
did  n't  know  that  Jimmy  had  anything 
to  do  with  the  worthless  gunpowder 
manufactured  in  San  Gabriel  in  1846? 
All  the  histories  of  the  time  mention 
that  it  was  tampered  with,  but  who  did 
it  was  a  mystery.  Isn't  it  fortunate, 
too,  that  Carlota  and  her  family  spoke 
English  ? 

If  we  could  see  one  another  it  would 
be  pleasant  to  tell  you  many  things  that 
are  not  in  the  book.  For  instance,  when 
gold  was  discovered  in  1849,  Jimmy's 
father  located  a  mine,  made  his  fortune, 
and  went  back  to  Boston  with  his  family. 
After  Jimmy  graduated  from  Harvard 
he  returned  to  California  and  married 
Carlota.  He  was  James  Radcliffe 
then,  and  greatly  improved  in  general 
behaviour. 


IX 


CONTENTS 


I  Jimmy's  Sister 

II  The  Padre's  Story       ....  13 

III  When  Jimmy  Was  n't  Brave       .  32 

IV  Wash-Day  in  the  Mountains       .  42 
V  The  King's  Highway  ....  50 

VI  Santa  Maria  Louisa       ....  63 

VII  The    Cat    Whose    Name    Was 

Yankee 70 

VIII  Two  Sides  of  a  Question .     .     .  78 

IX  Mary    Louise    and    the    Grizzly 

Bear 86 

X  Carlota's  Home 96 

XI  Jimmy  in  Disgrace 105 

XII  In  the  Padre's  Garden       .     .     .  112 

XIII  The  Fandango 121 

XIV  The  Robber's  Sash       ....  134 
XV  Jimmy  Helps  Make  Gunpowder  139 

XVI  To  Save  a  Spanish  Gentleman    .  147 

XVII  Battle  of  San  Gabriel    .     ...  156 

XVIII  The  American  Flag     ....  1 70 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


"When  everything  went  entirely  wrong 
Mary  Louise  thought  longingly  of  Car- 
lota's  mother  "  (See  page  j)  Frontispiece 

"The  next  second  a  horseman  came  from 

behind  " 5^ 

"Sometimes   .    .    .    Dona Ysabel  told  the 

children  stories" 100 

"Don  Lisandro  galloped  into  his  own 
courtyard,  bringing  the  news  of  the 
revolt" 121 

"  'Know  a  thing  er  two  'bout  gunpow- 
der myself,'  suggested  the  Yankee  "  142 

"  Tied  it  swiftly  and  firmly  to  the  iron 

railing" 178 


JIMMY'S     SISTER 

aARLOTA'S  mother  was 
the  Senora  Dona  Ysabel 
Del  Villar.     That  means 
she  was  a   Spanish  lady. 
The  little  American  girl  in  care  of 
the   padre  of    San   Gabriel   never 
thought  of  Carlota's  mother  as  the 
Senora  Dona  Ysabel.     This  little 
girl  was   Mary   Louise   Radcliffe, 
and  she  worshipped  the  Spanish 
lady  as  truly  as  the   Indians  wor- 
shipped the  saints  in  the  niches  of 


CARLOTA 


San  Gabriel  church.  Surely  the 
Senora  would  comfort  a  homesick 
little  American  if  the  Padre  would 
only  say : 

"  Here  is  Mary  Louise.  Be 
kind  to  her." 

Sometimes  it  seemed  as  if  the 
Padre  seldom  thought  of  Mary 
Louise  except  as  Jimmy's  sister; 
and  to  be  Jimmy's  sister  was  a 
trial  in  Southern  California  in  days 
before  railroads  crossed  the  Rock- 
ies, and  the  Sierra  trails  were  trav- 
elled by  none  but  the  brave. 

Jimmy  was  usually  in  mischief. 
From  the  time  he  and  Mary  Louise 
sailed  from  Boston  with  their 
father  and  mother,  the  boy  had  con- 
tinually teased  his  sister.  Alone 
with  him  in  the  old  Mission,  she 
was  kept  almost  constantly  in  tears. 


CARLOTA 


To  make  his  little  sister  cry  was 
Jimmy's  favorite  pastime. 

When  everything  went  entirely 
wrong  Mary  Louise  thought  long- 
ingly of  Carlota's  mother. 

"  Jimmy,"  she  ventured,  one  May 
day,  "  do  you  suppose  the  lady 
speaks  Knglish  ?  " 

"What  lady?" 

"  Why,  the  Spanish  lady ;  the 
one  with  the  three  little  girls. 
The  lady  with  the  lovely  face  from 
the  rancho  over  there  —  Senor  Don 
Lisandro's  wife." 

"  Dunno  'bout  her,"  Jimmy  re- 
plied ;  "  but  that  Carlota  can  rattle 
off  English  good 's  a  Yankee. 
Now,  if  you  were  like  her,  Molly, 
polly-doll-baby-cry-baby,  we  'd  have 
some  fun.  S'pose  you  'd  dare 
ride  a  broncho  bareback  ?  Not 


CARLOTA 


you,  oh,  no !  You  're  scared  to 
walk  three  steps  out  on  the  desert 
on  your  own  feet  for  fear  you  '11 
get  lost,  or  something  '11  happen  to 
you.  Tied  to  the  Padre's  apron- 
strings,  you  are.  Wish  I  could  go 
with  the  Del  Villars  to-morrow." 

"  Where  are  they  going,  J  immy  ?" 

"  To  the  mountains  to  do  their 
washing." 

"  Why  do  they  go  to  the  moun- 
tains ?  There 's  plenty  of  water  at 
home.  The  Padre's  Indians  wash 
in  the  river." 

"Well,  my  sweet  sister,  if  you 
want  to  know,  they  're  going  to  the 
mountains  for  the  fun  of  it,  for  a 
wash-day  picnic." 

"  My  sakes,  Jimmy,  I  'd  like  to 
go,  too!" 

"  Oh,    no,  you    would  n't,    doll- 

4 


CARLOTA 


baby.  In  the  first  place,  it  would 
scare  you  to  death  to  ride  in  the 
caretta;  and  besides  that,  and 
what 's  worse,  you  'd  have  to  ride 
under  the  Mexican  flag.  And  what 
would  Uncle  Sam  think  of  that  in 
this  year  1 846  ?  " 

"Why  under  the  Mexican  flag?" 
"  Because,  young  lady,  the  Senor- 
ita  Carlota  told  the  Indians  not 
to  use  sheets  for  a  canopy  over  the 
caretta,  but  to  take  her  father's 
biggest  Mexican  flag.  Bully  for 
Mexico !  " 

"You  ought  to  be  ashamed 
of  yourself,"  remonstrated  Mary 
Louise.  "  Maybe  I  am  a  'fraidcat, 
but  I  'm  always  going  to  stick  up 
for  my  flag.  So  there  !  I  wish  we 
were  n't  living  near  the  wrong  ocean, 
and  I  don't  like  that  Carlota." 


CARLOTA 


"Well  I  do  and  so  does  the 
Padre.  I  intend  to  get  acquainted. 
Then  I  guess  you  and  the  cat  '11  be 
lonesome." 

"Jimmy,  please  be  good.  Let's 
go  for  a  horseback  ride." 

"  Dunno  but  I  will,"  agreed  the 
boy.  "What  do  you  say  to  tradin' 
horses?" 

"Why,  Jimmy,  you  know  my 
horse  is  a  dear  little  burro  and  I  'd 
be  afraid  to  try  your  broncho.  He 
stood  right  up  on  his  hind  legs 
when  he  heard  the  bugle-call  at  the 
barracks  yesterday.  Oh,  dear,  I 
would  n't  dare  try  it." 

"  Well  then,  come  on  with  me  to 
the  bear  fight.  I  forgot  it.  Meant 
to  have  told  you  before." 

Mary  Louise  shuddered  and 
turned  away.  She  could  hear  Jim- 


CARLOTA 


my's  mocking  laughter  until  the 
boy  was  out  of  sight.  Then  she 
sought  the  burro  and  patted  his 
shaggy  neck  a  few  minutes  before 
climbing  upon  his  back. 

"Burrito,"  said  she,  "let's  go 
over  to  the  cactus  hedge  and  maybe 
we'll  see  Carlota's  mother.  Per- 
haps she'll  be  out  in  her  rose 
garden." 

Surrounding  San  Gabriel  Mis- 
sion in  the  days  of  its  prosperity 
was  an  unbroken  cactus  hedge, 
planted  by  Padre  Zalvidea  in  1809. 
As  in  many  places  the  hedge  grew 
to  a  height  of  twenty  feet,  a  better 
defence  was  never  imagined  to 
keep  out  wild  beasts  and  hostile 
Indians.  It  was  a  mile  from 
the  Mission  buildings  and  Mary 
Louise  had  discovered  an  opening 


CARLOTA 


through  which  might  be  seen  the 
adobe  home  of  the  Del  Villars. 
She  had  kept  this  a  secret. 

The  rancho  of  Don  Lisandro 
Del  Villar,  miles  and  miles  in 
extent,  had  once  been  Mission 
property. 

Mary  Louise  reached  her  hid- 
ing place  in  time  to  see  prepara- 
tions for  the  early  morning  trip  to 
the  mountains. 

The  first  time  the  child  saw  a 
caretta  she  stood  still  in  amaze- 
ment, and  even  now,  although  she 
had  been  in  California  several 
months  and  had  seen  many  caret- 
tas,  she  gazed  as  curiously  as  ever  at 
the  Del  Villar  equipage  under  the 
pepper  trees. 

"Stand  still,  Burrito,"  she  whis- 
pered, "because  there  's  only  one 


CARLOTA 


opening  in  the  cactus  for  me  to 
see  through  and  if  I  could  n't  sit 
on  your  back  I  would  n't  be  tall 
enough.  And  oh,  Burrito,  Bur- 
rito  dear,  don't  bray.  Whatever 
you  do,  you  sweet  old  dear,  don't 
bray.'1 

A  caretta  is  a  clumsy  ox  cart. 
Its  two  solid  wheels  are  carved 
from  the  end  of  a  big  tree  and 
have  holes  through  the  centre  for 
the  huge  wooden  axle. 

An  Indian  was  sweeping  the 
bottom  of  the  caretta  while  another 
was  putting  soap  on  the  great  axle 
to  keep  the  wheels  from  squeak- 
ing. Mary  Louise  smiled  as  she 
watched  the  performance.  Mats 
were  then  put  in  the  bottom  of  the 
caretta  and  hooped  poles  were 
arched  over  its  rudely  made  box. 


CARLOTA 


"I  wish  they'd  talk  English," 
whispered  Mary  Louise  as  Mexi- 
can girls  came  dancing,  laughing, 
singing,  and  chattering  gayly  as 
they  brought  baskets  and  bundles 
to  the  group  under  the  trees.  One 
girl  unfurled  the  Mexican  flag  and 
danced  beneath  its  waving  folds 
before  she  gave  it  to  the  Indians 
who  fixed  the  canopy. 

"I  wish  it  was  the  stars  and 
stripes,"  grumbled  the  little  girl  be- 
hind the  cactus  hedge.  "Now  the 
Indian  women  are  bringing  lunch 
baskets  to  put  in  the  caretta.  I 
wonder  why  they  don't  smile.  Oh, 
they  're  going  to  decorate  with  flow- 
ers! Carlota's  mother  thought  of 
that,  I  know!  Why  does  n't  she 
come  out,  I  wonder?" 

Without  the  least  warning  Bur- 


IO 


CARLOTA 


rito  began  to  bray,  whereupon  Mary 
Louise  left  the  scene  as  quickly  as 
possible,  keeping  under  the  shadow 
of  the  cactus  hedge  until  she 
thought  it  safe  to  go  straight  across 
to  the  Mission. 

"  Burrito,  you  bad  little  burro," 
remonstrated  the  child,  "  what 
made  you  do  it  ? " 

Perhaps  the  burro's  pride  was 
hurt.  Anyway,  he  straightway,  and 
for  the  first  time,  gave  a  jerk  and  a 
curious  kick  that  sent  Mary  Louise 
sprawling  among  the  wild  oats. 
For  three  minutes  the  burro  kicked 
at  nothing,  stared  at  the  little  girl, 
and  behaved  much  as  Jimmy  might 
have  under  the  same  circumstances. 
He  actually  winked  at  the  child,  as 
much  as  to  say,  "  Get  on  my  back 
again  if  you  dare."  She  did  n't  dare. 


CARLOTA 


It  was  nearly  dark  when  Mary 
Louise  passed  the  barracks  on  her 
way  to  the  Padre's  house.  Music 
and  laughter  greeted  her  ears.  The 
sound  of  Spanish  guitars  floated 
across  the  courtyard,  and  as  the 
child  drew  nearer,  she  recognized 
the  Mexican  national  air  sung 
in  gay  chorus.  Next  she  heard 
Jimmy's  voice  alone  accompanied 
by  a  guitar,  then  roars  of  laughter. 

"They're  teaching  him  to  sing 
their  old  national  air  !  "  exclaimed 
the  child,  two  bright  spots  burning 
her  cheeks,  "  and  he  's  learning  it 
fast  That  's  the  worst  thing  J  immy 
Radcliffe  ever  did.  Oh,  dear  !  oh, 
dear  !  My  brother  is  going  to  be  a 
Spaniard  !  The  only  one  that  loves 
me  in  San  Gabriel  is  my  cat  — 
my  dear  old  Yankee  cat." 


12 


THE    PADRE'S    STORY 


(D 


ARY     LOUISE    and 

Jimmy  never  went  to 
bed  until  they  were  re- 
minded that  even  in 
Southern  California  children  were 
not  allowed  to  sit  up  all  night. 

Usually,  a  few  minutes  after  the 
eight  o'clock  supper,  the  Indian 
woman,  Docas,  appeared  with  two 
candles,  which  was  a  signal  under- 
stood by  the  little  strangers  to 
mean,  "It  is  all  over,  you  may  as 
13 


CARLOTA 


well  form  in  procession/'  That 
was  the  hour  when  Mary  Louise 
missed  her  mother,  and  when 
Jimmy  longed  to  be  a  full-grown 
man. 

Carlota,  Chona,  and  Rosita  were 
sound  asleep  when  the  Padre  drew 
his  big  chair  before  the  blazing  fire 
and  sat  quietly  looking  into  the 
flames.  Mary  Louise  and  Jimmy 
watched  the  door  opening  upon  the 
veranda.  They  expected  to  see 
Docas,  bearing  the  solemn,  flicker- 
ing candles ;  but  minutes  passed, 
and  no  Docas  appeared. 

Jimmy  winked  at  Mary  Louise 
and  Mary  Louise  nodded  her  head 
and  smiled.  Another  minute,  and 
the  little  sister  made  a  venture. 
She  feared  the  Padre  might  notice 
that  it  was  bedtime,  so  to  distract 
14 


CARLOTA 


his  attention  she  climbed  upon  his 
knee,  rested  her  head  upon  his 
shoulder,  and  said : 

"  I  wish  you  'd  tell  Jimmy  about 
the  Missions  and  about  San  Ga- 
briel." 

Jimmy  immediately  drew  near. 
In  broad  daylight  he  would  have 
no  time  to  listen  to  stories  of  the 
Franciscan  fathers,  but  to  avoid 
going  to  bed  he  had  been  known 
to  study  the  catechism. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  besought  Jimmy,  his 
very  freckles  assuming  a  pious  in- 
terest. "  Do  tell  me  about  the  Mis- 
sions. Antonio  Moreno  showed 
me  the  cow-bell  that  was  worn  by 
the  leader  of  the  San  Gabriel 
herds.  He  says  he  has  seen  thou- 
sands of  Indians  at  work  at  one 
time  in  the  grain  fields  here.  And 
15 


CARLOTA 


he  says  he  has  seen  four  hundred 
carts  going  single  file  hauling  wheat 
to  San  Pedro/' 

"  What  were  they  going  to  do 
with  the  wheat  in  San  Pedro  ? " 
demanded  the  little  sister. 

"  Ship  it  to  old  Mexico.  And 
they  used  to  take  hides  and  tallow 
to  San  Pedro,  too,  —  loads  and 
loads  and  loads  to  send  to  Boston." 

"  Those  good  old  days  are  gone 
forever,"  mused  the  Padre,  with  a 
glance  at  the  Mission  clock. 

"  I  wish  I  knew  more  about  the 
Padres,"  Jimmy  quickly  suggested. 

"Please  tell  him  about  San  Ga- 
briel anyway,"  added  Mary  Louise. 

"  The  boy  is  right  in  wishing  to 
know  of  the  old  days,"  remarked 
the  good  Padre,  never  dreaming 
that  Jimmy  merely  wished  to  put 

16 


CARLOTA 


off  going  to  bed  and  that  his  sister 
was  in  league  with  him. 

"  Have  you  heard,  my  son,  of 
Father  Junipero  Serra?"  asked  the 
Padre.  ' 

"No,  sir,"  Jimmy  replied. 

"Ah,  how  strange.  He  was  the 
first  president  of  the  Missions. 
When  he  was  a  young  man  in 
Spain,  he  became  a  Franciscan  and 
when  he  heard  about  the  Indians 
he  so  longed  to  convert  their  souls 
that  he  left  his  home  and  all  that 
was  dear  to  him  to  become  a  mis- 
sionary in  the  new  world.  For 
many  years  he  lived  and  worked  in 
Mexico  and  then  in  Lower  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  took  charge  of  the 
Jesuit  Missions  after  the  King  of 
Spain  expelled  the  Jesuits." 

"What  were  the  Franciscans  and 

2  I7 


CARLOTA 


Jesuits  ?   I  don't  understand,"  said 
Jimmy. 

"  Religious  orders,  my  son,"  ex- 
plained the  Padre. 

"  I  suppose  they  were  like  Pres 
byterians  and  Methodists,"  com- 
mented Mary  Louise. 

The  Padre  smiled.  "We,  the 
Franciscans,"  said  he,  "  belong  to 
the  order  of  St.  Francis,  an  Italian 
who  founded  the  order.  He  was 
a  wonderful  preacher  and  his  fol- 
lowers vowed  to  be  always  poor 
and  to  live  simply.  In  days  gone 
by  the  Franciscans  wore  coarse 
gray  serge  robes  tied  with  hemp 
rope,  but  now,  as  you  see,  we  wear 
brown.  We  are  known  as  peace- 
makers." 

The  Padre  then  continued  the 
story  of  the  brave  man  who  founded 

18 


CARLOTA 


the  Missions  in  Upper  California 
when  California  was  a  province 
of  Spain,  of  his  life  full  of  hard- 
ships and  suffering,  of  his  won- 
derful success  among  the  Indians 
and  at  last  of  his  death. 

"My  boy,  to-morrow  you  shall 
read  a  book  on  Father  Junipero 
and  his  work,"  promised  the  Padre, 
whereupon  a  look  of  dismay  spread 
over  Jimmy's  face  which  Mary 
Louise  caught  although  the  Padre 
was  gazing  into  the  fire. 

"I  —  I  think,"  faltered  Jimmy, 
"that  I  'd  like  to  know  more  about 
San  Gabriel." 

"Ah,  to  be  sure,"  resumed  the 
Padre,  "The  Mission  San  Gabriel 
Archangel  was  founded  Septem- 
ber 8,  1771.  It  became  the  Queen 
of  the  Missions,  my  boy,  and  was 
19 


CARLOTA 


founded  by  Fathers  Cambon  and 
Somera.  Fourteen  soldiers  and 
a  corporal  marched  with  them, 
also  four  muleteers  in  charge  of 
the  mule  train  of  supplies.  They 
rested  at  last  in  this  beautiful  val- 
ley carpeted  then  with  wild  flowers 
after  the  early  rains.  An  old  ac- 
count says:  'The  spot  upon  which 
they  halted  was  a  veritable  field  of 
gold/  ' 

"I  can  imagine  it,"  whispered 
Mary  Louise.  "  I  love  the  flowers, 
but  I  should  have  been  afraid  of 
the  Indians." 

"  With  reason,"  agreed  the  Padre, 
"  for  there  were  many  wild  Indians 
here.  A  large  number  came  to 
meet  the  missionaries,  threatening 
them  with  death.  Father  Somera 
walked  toward  the  warriors  and  un- 


20 


CARLOTA 


|| 


rolled  a  picture  of  Our  Lady  of 
Bethlehem  on  a  large  banner.  That 
astonished  the  Indians  who  fell 
upon  their  faces  and  laid  their  bows 
and  arrows  upon  the  ground.  They 
had  never  before  seen  a  painting. 
Two  Indians  took  off  their  shell 
necklaces  and  offered  them  as  gifts 
before  the  picture." 

"Where  was  Father  Junipero 
about  that  time?"  asked  Jimmy. 

"He  was  busy  founding  San 
Antonio.  Father  Junipero  Serra 
planned  a  line  of  missions  a  day's 
journey  apart,  from  San  Diego 
to  San  Francisco.  There  were 
twenty-one  Missions  established; 
and  the  road  connecting  them,  you 
know  the  old  road,  Jimmy,  is 
called  El  Camino  Real,  the  King's 
Highway." 


21 


CARLOTA 


"  Our  Mission  was  the  fourth 
one  founded.  A  little  chapel  was 
quickly  built  of  wood,  with  a  roof 
made  of  tules,  and  plastered  with 
adobe." 

"  What  are  tules  ? "  asked  a  sleepy 
voice. 

"  Tules,  my  little  Mary,  are  bul- 
rushes. The  long  stalks  were  used 
for  the  roof. 

"  When  the  building  was  fin- 
ished the  church  was  decorated 
with  wild  flowers,  and  among 
them  were  the  lovely  wild  Cas- 
tilian  roses  found  growing  here 
by  the  Padres." 

"  Wish  I  'd  been  here  then," 
murmured  Mary  Louise,  where- 
upon Jimmy,  unseen  by  the  Padre, 
made  expressive  motions  sugges- 
tive of  the  tomahawk  lifting  her 


22 


CARLOTA 


scalp  and  an  arrow  piercing  her 
heart. 

"In  the  beginning,  there  was 
much  trouble  with  the  Indians," 
resumed  the  Padre.  "  They  at- 
tacked the  Mission,  but  when  their 
chief  was  slain  they  made  peace. 
The  soldiers  behaved  so  badly  it 
was  no  wonder  the  Indians  at  first 
refused  to  be  baptized.  There 
were  only  seventy-three  converts 
the  first  two  years." 

"  I  don't  see  how  the  Padres 
ever  got  the  wild  Indians  to  settle 
down  and  live  in  houses,"  com- 
mented Jimmy. 

"  They  began,"  was  the  reply, 
"by  giving  the  Indians  clothing, 
and  in  time  taught  them  how  to 
cultivate  the  earth.  It  was  the  In- 
dians, Jimmy,  who  built  this  beau- 
23 


j||  CARLOTA  """||| 

tiful  church  after  the  first  Mission 
buildings  were  abandoned." 

"  Why  were  they  abandoned  ?  " 

"  Probably  because  they  were  too 
near  the  river  and  this  present  lo- 
cation was  thought  safer  in  case  of 
floods.  This  church  is  all  there  is 
left  now  of  the  San  Gabriel  Mis- 
sion buildings." 

"  What  were  the  buildings  like  ? 
Antonio  Moreno  says  he  can  re- 
member when  there  were  great 
storehouses  here  filled  with  grain 
and  hides  and  tallow,  and  one  that 
was  filled  with  bags  of  gold  and 
silver." 

"  True,  my  son,"  assented  the 
Padre.  "The  Mission  building 
was  made  in  a  square  like  the  Casa 
Del  Villar,  —  you  have  seen  that, 

—  with  a  big  court  in  the  centre 

24 


CARLOTA 


planted  with  trees  and  blooming 
with  flowers.  There  were  fountains, 
too,  in  the  court.  All  around  it  was 
a  corridor  opening  upon  the  rooms 
of  the  fathers  and  the  major-domo. 
There  were  rooms  for  travellers,  — 
why,  Jimmy,  we  are  living  in  the 
ruins  now.  The  apartment  you 
and  Mary  Louise  occupy  was  the 
schoolroom.  Thousands  of  little 
Indians  have  been  taught  to  read 
there. 

"  You  know  we  had  wonderful 
music  in  San  Gabriel  in  the  old 
days.  Our  Indians  were  taught  to 
play  the  violin,  flute,  horn,  cymbals, 
harps,  drums,  triangles,  —  in  fact, 
it  was  a  fine  orchestra  that  climbed 
that  outer  stairway  under  the  pep- 
per tree  to  the  choir  loft  in  days 
gone  by.  To-morrow  I  will  show 
25 


CARLOTA 


||| 


you  parchment  rolls  of  music 
printed  by  the  Indians;  big 
notes,  children,  that  could  be  seen 
from  a  distance;  many  red  notes 
among  the  black,  for  the  In- 
dians copied  music  more  happily 
if  they  were  allowed  to  use  plenty 
of  red. 

"The  Indian  girls  lived  in  a 
separate  apartment,  and  were  in 
care  of  good  women  who  taught 
them  to  spin  and  weave  flax,  cotton, 
and  wool,  and  to  cook  and  keep 
house. 

"What  the  Padres  taught  the 
Indians  is  marvellous.  They  made 
bridges,  mills,  machinery,  irrigating 
canals ;  you  Ve  seen  out  here  the 
ruined  arches  of  an  aqueduct  that 
once  brought  water  from  the  moun- 
tains to  San  Gabriel.  The  Indians 
26 


CARLOTA 


I 

were  taught  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  They  became  weavers, 
tailors,  shoemakers,  and  soap  mak- 
ers. There  were  carpenters  and 
blacksmiths  among  them.  In  fact, 
the  Padres  taught  the  Indians  all 
the  arts  of  civilization. 

"The  Missions  became  rich, 
and  San  Gabriel  was  one  of  the 
wealthiest.  Children,  in  that  little 
burying-ground  beyond  the  church 
are  laid  seven  thousand  Indians, 
whose  hands  not  only  made  the 
buildings  but  the  very  furniture  in 
the  Mission  now." 

"  Well,  what  happened  ?  "  de- 
manded Jimmy.  "If  the  Indians 
had  such  a  good  time  and  every- 
body was  happy,  why  is  the  Mis- 
sion in  ruins  and  the  Indians  all 

•\ » 
gone  r 

27 


CARLOTA 


The  Padre  shaded  his  eyes  from 
the  fire  and  said  in  a  low  tone  : 

"  There  was  a  revolution.  Mex- 
ico became  an  empire,  then  a  re- 
public. The  Padres  remained  loyal 
to  the  King  of  Spain  and  refused 
to  acknowledge  the  Republic  of 
Mexico.  Then  Mexico  took  away 
all  power  from  the  Padres  by  an 
Act  called  the  Secularization  Act. 
The  Indians  were  told  to  leave  the 
Missions  if  they  wished. 

"In  San  Gabriel  it  happened 
this  way:  A  Spanish  woman  had 
been  in  the  Mission  for  years;  first 
in  charge  of  the  Indian  girls,  then 
as  bookkeeper  and  treasurer.  She 
paid  the  bills  and  took  care  of  all 
the  money.  The  governor  of  Cal- 
ifornia, after  Mexico  became  a 

republic,  sent    to    San    Gabriel    a 

28 


CARLOTA 


demand  for  a  loan  of  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars.  Eulalia  refused  to 
pay  the  money  or  give  up  the  treas- 
ury keys.  The  treasury  was  broken 
open,  the  money  stolen,  and  the 
government  took  control  of  San 
Gabriel.  Then  came  the  end. 
The  shoe  shop,  the  soap  factory, 
the  carpenter  shop,  the  sawmill,  the 
grist-mill,  —  everything  went  to  de- 
struction. The  famous  vineyards, 
the  grain  fields,  —  all  was  in  ruins. 
"In  1839,  thirteen  hundred  In- 
dians were  living  in  comfort  in  San 
Gabriel.  They  owned  over  forty 
thousand  cattle  and  sheep.  Four 
years  ago,  in  1 842,  there  were  three 
hundred  Indians  left  with  only  the 
vineyards  to  depend  upon.  Fac- 
tories, cattle,  grain  fields,  —  all 

were  gone." 

29 


CARLOTA 


There  was  silence  when  the 
Padre  ceased,  broken  by  the  heavy 
breathing  of  the  little  girl  in  his 
arms. 

"  The  child  's  asleep,"  said  he. 
"  Go,  Jimmy,  and  find  Docas.  Cu- 
rious that  she  's  forgotten  you." 

Jimmy  returned  after  what 
seemed  a  long  absence.  He 
looked  frightened  when  he  again 
entered  the  room. 

"Will  the  Mexicans  kill  all  the 
Americans  in  the  country  ?  "  he  de- 
manded. "  That's  what  they  are 
saying  at  the  guard-house.  My 
father  and  mother  "  — 

"  Are  in  the  care  of  Providence," 
interrupted  the  Padre,  "  and  the 
men  shouldn't  talk  before  a  boy. 
Where  is  Docas  ?" 

"  Gone  to   San  Gabriel   Canon 

30 


CARLOTA 


after  her  boy.  They  say  he  heard 
about  a  robber  chief  who  threatens 
to  kill  us  all  and  he  ran  away. 
He's  afraid  of  the  Mexicans  and 
the  Americans  too.  They  say  "  — 
"  Go,  Jimmy,  ask  Anita  to  bring 
the  candles.  I  let  you  sit  up  too 
late.  Children  need  sleep." 


WHEN   JIMMY   WASN'T   BRAVE 

IT  is  one  thing  to  call   your 
sister   a  coward    in    broad 
daylight  and  another  to  be 
brave     yourself     alone     in 
the  dark  with  bats  flitting  through 
ruined  arches,  coyotes  howling  near, 
and  grizzly  bears  prowling  around 
the  mission. 

Jimmy  begged  Anita  to  leave  at 
least  one  candle,  but  she  was  firm 
in  her  refusal.     The  Padre  had  for- 
bidden   it      The    girl    undressed 
32 


CARLOTA 


Mary  Louise,  who  slept  so  soundly 
she  did  n't  miss  her  mother  that 
night.  Then  she  waited  for  Jimmy 
to  get  into  his  little  bed  at  the  fur- 
ther end  of  the  long  room.  She 
seemed  in  unnecessary  haste  to  be 
gone.  Jimmy  sat  up  in  his  dismal 
corner  watching  Anita's  shadow 
grow  longer  and  longer  as  she 
walked  across  the  uneven  floor,  one 
candle  above  her  head,  until  she 
and  the  light  were  lost  in  the  dark- 
ness of  the  corridor  and  her  foot- 
steps sounded  from  afar. 

The  boy  clutched  at  the  bed- 
clothes and  listened.  If  you  are 
frightened  in  the  night,  you  should 
always  listen ;  you  are  sure  to 
hear  something.  Jimmy  heard 
a  little  scurrying  sound  near  the 
yawning  fireplace.  It  might  have 

3  33 


CARLOTA 


been  a  rat,  it  might  have  been — 
who  knows  what?  Jimmy's  eyes 
stared  into  the  darkness.  He  saw 
visions  of  long-ago  Indian  school 
boys  trooping  by  his  corner,  gazing 
at  him  with  horrible  faces  and 
threatening  to  deal  with  him  when 
lessons  were  over.  Then  he  won- 
dered if  the  Mexicans  would  rise 
up  and  massacre  every  American  in 
California  according  to  the  rumor 
discussed  in  the  guard-house. 

Soon  Jimmy's  mind  was  so  torn 
between  imagination  and  realities, 
between  the  probable  and  the  im- 
probable, past  happenings  and  pres- 
ent fears,  that  he  almost  fainted 
when  he  caught  the  sound  of  shuf- 
fling footsteps  and  a  dark  form 
appeared  at  the  nearest  window. 
It  was  an  old-time  Spanish  win- 

34 


CARLOTA 


]|| 


dow,  with  bars  across  the  opening 
instead  of  glass.  Jimmy  tried  to 
scream  for  help,  but  his  tongue  was 
useless  ;  it  could  n't  be  moved. 

"F-f-fit."  The  noise  sounded 
like  a  remonstrance  from  a  cat. 
Yet  it  was  something  bigger  than 
a  cat  outlined  against  the  bars. 
"  F-f-fit."  The  creature  was  mak- 
ing a  noise  through  his  teeth. 

"  Jeemy !  Jeemy !  It's  your  friend 
Antonio  !  Are  you  asleep  ?" 

"  W-what  ?  what  do  you  want  ?  " 
chattered  the  boy. 

"  My  chulla  —  my  knife.  I  'm 
going  on  the  hills  with  los  Del 
Villars  before  daylight,  and  I  want 
my  chulla.  It 's  on  the  mesa." 

"Where  —  where  did  you  say 
your  knife  is?" 

"On  the  mesa  — the  table." 

35 


CARLOTA 


"  C-come  and  g-get  it.  I  'm 
c-cold." 

"  You  must  be  seeck,"  agreed 
Antonio.  "  I  would  not  ask  you  to 
get  out  of  bed  but  I  no  can  get  in." 

"Wait,"  suggested  Jimmy. 
"S-stay  th-there  until  I  get  your 
knife." 

"  Why,  boy,  you  seeck,  sure. 
Don't  run  so  fast.  You  stub  your 
toe  on  the  tiles  and  bump  your  one 
nose.  I  no  hurry.  I  stay  here. 
You  do  that  so  fast  you  make 
me  deezy,"  continued  Antonio,  as 
Jimmy  passed  the  knife  through 
the  bars. 

"Antonio,  is  it  true  that  Black- 
bird has  run  away?" 

"  Yes,  but  Docas  bring  him  back. 
She  go  after  him  many  times  when 

he  goes  on  the  hills." 

36 


CARLOTA 


"  Why  does  he  run  away  ?  Is  it 
true  about  the  robber?" 

"  I  don't  know.  It  may  be. 
Blackbird  hear  too  much  talk  about 
war.  He  poco  loco  (a  little  crazy). 
Never  got  over  what  happen  when 
he  little  boy.  That  is  why  Docas 
watch  all  time." 

"What  happened  to  him,  Anto- 
nio ?  Don't  go,  stay  here  and  tell 
me.  I  'm  lonesome  to-night." 

"  I  tell  you  about  Blackbird, 
Jeemy,  then  you  never  tease  him 
again.  He  was  about  ten  years  old 
when  the  Padres  refuse  to  give  up 
the  keys.  Blackbird  know  trouble 
coming  even  when  he  little  boy,  and 
for  two  years  he  scared  all  time. 
Blackbird  he  away  on  the  hills  with 
his  big  brother  tending  sheep  when 
the  Padres  at  San  Gabriel  teach 

37 


CARLOTA 


Indians  how  to  fight  for  Mission. 
Then  Alvarado's  soldiers  come  and 
attack  Indians  on  the  mesa — the 
plain  out  east  here.  The  Indians 
lose  and  fly  to  Arroyo  Secco,  where 
they  hide  in  deep  canon. 

"  Alvarado's  soldiers  find  them 
and  drive  poor  Indians  away  to 
Los  Sierra  Mad  re  mountains, 
where  they  hide  in  Los  Flores 


canon." 


"  Were  they  safe  there  ? "  de- 
manded Jimmy. 

"  No,  because  they  are  taken  to 
the  canon  by  one  traitor.  He  lead 
them  wrong.  Alvarado  pay  him 
to  do  it  Jeemy!  Near  the  open- 
ing to  the  canon,  los  Mexicanos 
put  one  cannon — hide  it  in  the 
bushes,  so  when  the  soldiers  fire 

down  into  the  canon  from  up  high, 

38 


CARLOTA 


and  the  Indians  try  get  away,  they 
all  shot.  They  could  n't  go.  Black- 
bird's father  is  one  who  die." 

"  But  you,  Antonio,"  ventured 
Jimmy,  "you  are  a  Mexican." 

"Si,  Senor,but  I  Indians' friend. 
My  father  live  at  the  Mission. 
He  with  the  Padres  when  Black- 
bird came  home.  Blackbird  hear 
the  story.  He  act  funny.  He 
no  talk,  he  no  cry.  One  day 
his  big  brother  is  shot  dead  by 
Mexicano  on  cabillo  —  that  is  one 
horse,  Jeemy.  You  know  that. 
Mexicano  on  horseback.  Black- 
bird see  his  brother  die.  After 
that  Blackbird  is  always  boy." 

"Why,  he's  big — he's  big  and 
tall,"  corrected  Jimmy. 

"He's  a  boy  all  the  time,"  in- 
$isted  Antonio.  "  The  inside  of  his 

39 


CARLOTA 


head  never  grow.  His  mother  will 
bring  him  home  to  the  Mission. 
Poor  Blackbird  afraid  to  stay  here. 
He  thinks  the  Americanos  are 
after  him." 

"Will  there  be  any  fighting?" 
asked  Jimmy.  "  Is  it  true  that 
the  Mexicans  want  to  kill  all  the 
Americans?" 

"  There  not  be  an  Americano  in 
the  country  if  Don  Lisandro  Del 
Villar  have  his  way,  that  sure," 
assented  Antonio.  "And  now, 
Jeemy,  go  to  sleep." 

Antonio  left  quickly,  and  Jimmy, 
with  one  fearsome  glance  at  his 
own  corner,  crept  into  bed  beside 
his  sleeping  sister. 

In  the  morning  Mary  Louise 
awoke  first. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ? "  she 

40 


CARLOTA 


inquired  when  Jimmy  opened  his 
eyes. 

"Oh,  I  was  cold,"  said  Jimmy, 
"  and,  besides,  I  thought  maybe 
you  'd  wake  up  and  be  afraid." 


WASH-DAY    IN    THE    MOUNTAINS 


'HEN  Mary  Louise  said 
she  didn't  like  Carlota 
she  spoke  from  the  depths 
of  homesickness.  She 
was  n  't  acquainted  with  Carlota. 
If  she  had  ever  looked  carefully 
she  would  have  seen  that  the  Span- 
ish child  was  a  small  image  of  her 
mother,  the  Dona  Ysabel. 

Long  before  daylight,  Carlota, 
Chona,  and  baby  Rosita  were 
awakened  and  dressed.  Four  oxen 


CARLOTA 


were  yoked  to  the  pole,  and  Carlota, 
the  baby,  and  their  mother  climbed 
into  the  caretta,  while  Chona 
mounted  her  pony.  Beside  the 
caretta  walked  the  Indian  driver 
with  his  long  ox-goad. 

Spanish  ladies  and  their  daugh- 
ters in  the  old  days  dressed  in 
snow-white  and  as  the  family 
washing  had  been  neglected  for 
weeks,  a  long  procession  of  horses 
led  by  Indians  followed  behind 
the  caretta,  each  horse  with  a  bundle 
of  soiled  linen  fastened  upon  its 
back.  Women  and  girls  who  were 
to  do  the  washing  trooped  along  on 
foot,  sometimes  beside  the  caretta, 
sometimes  lingering  behind  the 
horses. 

There  were  several  Mexican 
children  among  the  number,  who 

43 


f 


CARLOTA 


were  allowed  to  ride  in  the  caretta 
whenever  they  were  tired.  Carlota 
loved  all  the  household  children, 
especially  the  little  Indian  boys. 
She  used  to  tell  them  stories  by 
the  hour  and  teach  them  to  sing 
and  dance. 

Dogs  innumerable,  it  seemed, 
accompanied  the  noisy  expedition, 
scaring  the  rabbits,  startling  quail, 
and  astonishing  the  owls. 

The  steps  of  the  caretta  were 
low  and  at  the  first  peep  of  dawn 
Carlota  climbed  in  and  out  many 
times,  gathering  wild  flowers  for 
Rosita  and  playing  with  the  little 
Mexicans. 

Once  when  coyotes  howled,  the 
Dona  Ysabel  called  all  the  children 
to  the  caretta  and  kept  them  there 
until  they  reached  the  hot  springs 

44 


CARLOTA 


in  the  mountains.  Chona  was 
compelled  to  trot  slowly  behind  the 
caretta,  though  she  longed  to  gallop 
on  ahead  or  be  the  first  to  climb 
steep  heights. 

After  breakfast  in  the  canon  it 
was  broad  daylight.  Carlota  and 
Chona  watched  the  women  unload 
the  linen,  saw  the  men  turn  the 
horses  loose  to  feed  upon  wild  oats, 
and  then  wished  they  might  be 
allowed  to  put  soap  on  the  clothes 
and  wash  them  in  the  spring. 

All  around  birds  were  singing 
and  flowers  blooming.  The  Mexi- 
can women  laughed  and  chatted  at 
their  work,  scarcely  thinking  it  work 
under  that  shining  sky.  When  the 
clothes  were  washed  they  were 
spread  on  the  low  bushes  to  dry. 

Late   in   the  afternoon  Carlota 

45 


CARLOTA 


wandered  away  by  herself  to  ex- 
plore the  canon :  at  least  she  in- 
tended to  go  alone  and  did  n't  know 
that  Chona  was  following  at  a  re- 
spectful distance.  Carlota  liked  to 
imagine  herself  an  early  Spanish  ex- 
plorer and  as  Chona  did  n't  like  the 
game  and  always  refused  to  repre- 
sent the  handful  of  starving  men 
under  command  of  the  great  chief, 
why,  the  great  chief  ventured  alone 
into  the  wilderness  among  savages. 
The  canon  was  an  unusually  good 
place  to  play  Pizarro  in  Peru. 

Suddenly  in  the  trail  before  her 
Carlota  saw  a  gayly  dressed  man  — 
a  Mexican  gentleman  she  decided 
on  the  instant,  at  the  same  time 
wondering  where  he  bought  his 
gorgeous  sash  of  embroidered 
scarlet  silk. 


CARLOTA 


"  Buenos  tardes,  Senor,"  ventured 
Carlota,  after  waiting  for  the  gentle- 
man to  speak  first. 

"  Talk  English,"  suggested  the 
stranger,  lifting  his  Mexican  hat 
and  bowing  low. 

"  Certainly,"  agreed  Carlota,  "  I 
learned  English  when  I  was  a  little 
bit  of  a  girl." 

The  man's  eyes  smiled  but  his 
mouth  did  n't  twitch  as  he  surveyed 
the  wee  maiden. 

"Your  name,  Senorita?" 

"  I  am  Carlota,"  was  the  reply. 

The  child  then  noticed  that 
around  the  man's  hat  was  a  cord 
made  of  nuggets  of  gold.  Not  to 
be  outdone  in  the  matter  of  hats, 
she  told  the  stranger  that  her  father 
was  the  man  who  wore  the  jewelled 
sombrero ;  that  every  one  in  that 

47 


CARLOTA 


I 

country  knew  the  Sen  or  Don 
Lisandro  Del  Villar. 

In  reply  to  brief  questions  Car- 
lota  gave  a  surprising  amount  of 
information  regarding  her  home 
and  family,  when  the  stranger 
suddenly  vanished.  For  several 
minutes  he  had  seen  Chona  and 
when  she  turned  and  signalled 
wildly  he  kept  his  eye  on  the  trail 
until  Antonio  Moreno  appeared 
on  horseback.  Up  to  that  moment 
Carlota  had  not  dreamed  of  fear. 

"Who  do  you  think  the  mountain 
gentleman  was?"  she  asked,  with  a 
slight  tremble  in  her  voice. 

"The  gentleman,  Senorita  Car- 
lota,  I  think  he  is  robber.  You 
come  stay  with  your  mother." 

"If  it  hadn't  been  for  me,  what 
would  have  become  of  you?"  in- 


CARLOTA 


quired   Chona,  her  dark  eyes  big 
and  round  with  horror. 

Carlota  gave  her  sister  a  hug 
that  nearly  took  her  breath  away. 
Riding  home  in  the  caretta  that 
night,  she  fell  asleep  with  her  arms 
around  Chona.  Once  Carlota 
awoke,  but  closed  her  eyes  with 
a  thankful  feeling  in  her  heart 
when  she  saw  her  mother's  face 
above  her  under  the  stars. 


49 


THE    KING'S    HIGHWAY 


a  A  R  LOT  A     loved     the 
old     road     leading     past 
the      Mission.       Chona 
laughed     about     it  —  the 
careless      Chona,     who     galloped 
across  the  mesa  like  a  wild  Indian 
and    never   would    sit   down    and 
think  quietly  of  days  gone  by  and 
things    that    happened   long    ago. 
What  did    she    care    about    the 

King's   Highway? 

50 


CARLOTA 


The  morning  after  the  mountain 
trip  Carlota  begged  Chona  to  go 
for  a  stroll  after  wild  flowers. 

"  Where  ? "  asked  Chona. 

"  On  the  King's  Highway,"  was 
the  reply. 

"  I  '11  go  on  horseback,  I  '11  race 
with  you,"  agreed  Chona. 

"  The  Padres  went  on  foot,"  ob- 
jected Carlota. 

"  They  did  n't  always,"  suggested 
Chona ;  "  besides  that,  who  's  a 
Padre?" 

"  We  could  play  be  Padres  our- 
selves; this  is  a  lovely  morning  to 
play  that.  You  could  be  Father 
Cambon,  I  'd  be  Father  Somera, 
and  we  'd  " 

"  Oh,  Carlota,"  interrupted 
Chona,  "  that 's  a  stupid  game.  Be- 
sides, unless  we  're  on  horseback  you 
51 


CARLOTA 


know  we  are  not  allowed  to  go  out 
of  sight  of  the  Mission  buildings. 
I  'd  rather  play  chase  desert  Indians. 
We  could  go  like  the  wind  and  las- 
soo  the  chief  before  he  could  get  to 
the  mountains.  Come,  Carlota,  our 
ponies  are  saddled.  I  'm  going." 

"  Please,  Chona,  come  with  me 
this  once.  Please." 

"  No,  Carlota,  you  'd  make  me 
learn  some  poetry  or  something. 
I  'd  rather  ride  to  the  old  mill. 
Babita  is  pawing  the  earth,  she  is 
so  anxious  to  start.  Good-by." 

Carlota  trudged  along  on  foot 
and  soon  the  little  sister  passed 
her,  leaving  a  cloud  of  dust  in  the 
road  and  a  feeling  of  loneliness  in 
the  air. 

"  Wish  I  'd  gone  with  her,"  con- 
fessed Carlota. 

52 


CARLOTA 


At  that  moment  Chona  looked 
behind  and  felt  uneasy  because  she 
had  left  the  Padre.  Chona  felt  sure 
that  by  that  time  the  white-robed 
figure  on  the  highway  was  a  Padre. 
Carlota  waved  her  hand,  smiled, 
and  became  the  Padre,  her  white 
dress  upon  the  instant  changing 
to  brown,  and  her  face  assuming 
nearly  as  possible  the  expression 
of  an  early  Franciscan  Father. 

"  I  Ve  come  from  San  Diego," 
mused  the  Padre,  "  I  Ve  walked 
under  blue  skies  and  beside  the 
shining  sea  just  like  the  man  on 
horseback  in  the  poem.  How 
I  love  this  old  road  we  Padres 
have  made.  Soon,  when  I  have 
passed  San  Gabriel,  the  King's 
Highway  will  lead  by  snow-capped 
mountains,  peaks,  and  waterfalls.  I 

53 


CARLOTA 


can  see  a  long  procession  of  brown 
Padres  marching  on  before  me  the 
hundreds  and  hundreds  of  miles  to 
San  Francisco  to  Mission  Dolores. 
At  all  the  Missions  the  little  child- 
ren will  come  to  meet  me,  singing 
songs  of  old  Spain  and  about  Don 
Carlos  the  King. 

"Oh,  but  I  s'pose  they'd  sing 
chants  and  heavenly  music  for  the 
Padre;  I  forgot.  Don't  believe 
I  'm  a  brown  Padre  this  morning 
after  all.  I  feel  more  like  Balboa 
or  Pizarro  or — or  Alvarado.  Not 
Governor  Alvarado,  I  should  say 
not.  I  mean  that  brave  Spanish  pi- 
oneer who  made  the  leap  at  Acoma. 
The  more  I  think  of  it  the  more  I 
am  sure  I  am  Balboa.  Oh,  oh,  oh. 
Here  are  mist-maidens.  I  never 
saw  them  except  in  the  mountains." 

54 


CARLOTA 


Balboa  stooped  to  gather  a  hand- 
ful of  the  dainty  white  blossoms; 
then,  that  the  mist-maidens  might 
have  light,  she  gathered  a  bunch 
of  lantern  of  the  fairies.  After 
that  Balboa  was  forgotten  and  a 
little  girl  began  picking  wild  flow- 
ers, led  on  and  on  by  Indian 
warriors,  scarlet  buglers,  whisper- 
ing bells,  and  woolly  blue  curls. 
Making  a  basket  of  her  dress 
Carlota  filled  it  with  her  treasures 
and  then  picked  more.  Violets, 
the  wild  forget-me-nots,  and  name- 
less blooms  were  eagerly  and  lov- 
ingly added  to  the  store. 

The  child  forgot  that  she  was 
alone  and  did  n't  notice  when  a 
turn  of  the  Highway  left  the 
Mission  buildings  out  of  sight. 
She  thought  of  the  poppy  fields 

55 


CARLOTA 


[|| 


beyond  and  hastened  through  a 
wilderness  of  wild  mustard  that 
rose  abruptly  on  either  side  higher 
than  her  father's  head. 

"It's  like  walking  through  golden 
walls,"  whispered  the  child.  "  En- 
chanted walls,  I  think,  because 
birds  are  singing  all  through  it." 

How  it  happened  Carlota  never 
knew  ;  but  the  next  second  a  horse- 
man came  from  behind,  snatched 
her  from  the  ground,  placed  her  on 
his  saddle,  and  dashed  through  the 
long  golden  walls  holding  her  firmly 
in  his  right  arm. 

Even  in  her  fright  Carlota  no- 
ticed what  a  noble  horse  was  bear- 
ing her  away  from  home.  It  was 
a  silver-mounted  saddle,  too.  A 
gust  of  wind  swept  a  fold  of  scarlet 
silk  about  her  and  then  Carlota 

56 


I  HE    NEXT    SECOND    A    HORSE- 
MAN CAME  FROM  BEHIND" 


CARLOTA 


knew  that  yesterday's  robber  was 
taking  her  to  the  mountains.  There 
was  no  mistaking  that  embroidered 
sash. 

What  to  do  Carlota  did  n't  know. 
To  scream  for  help  would  be  use- 
less. Shutting  her  teeth  together 
she  wondered  what  her  heroes 
would  do  in  such  a  place.  Pizarro 
would  manage  some  way  to  escape. 
Balboa  —  but  at  that  moment  a 
sickening  thought  made  Carlota's 
head  droop  for  a  minute  against 
the  robber.  Both  Pizarro  and 
Balboa  died  frightful  deaths. 

"  Do  we  ride  too  fast,  Senorita?" 
asked  the  robber.  His  voice  was 
kind. 

"  Are  you  going  to  kill  me  ? " 
demanded  Carlota,  feeling  that  it 
might  be  well  to  know  the  worst. 

57 


CARLOTA 


"There  now,  child,  don't  think 
of  such  distressing  things.  Kill 
you  ?  I  '11  take  care  of  you  as  ten- 
derly as  your  own  mother.  Kill 
you?  No,  indeed,  Senorita,  you 
have  nothing  to  fear,  and  this  is  a 
perfect  day  for  a  ride.  I  'm  taking 
you  to  my  cave  near  the  loveliest 
canon  in  all  California." 

Balboa  would  n't  have  cried, 
Pizarro  would  n't  have  cried,  Al- 
varado  would  have  scorned  tears, 
but  Carlota  wept  aloud. 

"  You  —  you  turn  around  and 
take  me  home,"  she  wailed  in 
Spanish,  forgetting  that  her  cap- 
tor, in  spite  of  his  Mexican 
dress,  had  requested  her  to  talk 
Knglish. 

"  Were  you  speaking  to  me  ?  " 

asked  the  robber. 

58 


CARLOTA 


"  I  say  you  take  me  home," 
sobbed  the  child. 

"  Too  inconvenient/'  was  the  re- 
ply. "It  occurred  to  me  yesterday 
that  a  man  of  your  father's  wealth 
would  pay  for  the  return  of  his 
daughter.  I  have  seen  the  jewelled 
sombrero,  little  lady.  I  know  that 
it  is  worth  at  least  five  hundred 
dollars.  I  shall  send  a  messenger 
to  Don  Lisandro  and  offer  to  ex- 
change you  for  that  piece  of  vanity 
and  a  few  bags  of  gold." 

"  My  father  won't  give  you  his 
jewelled  sombrero,"  was  the  retort. 
"All  the  soldiers  in  the  barracks 
will  be  sent  after  me  and  they  '11 
put  a  bullet  through  you  !  " 

"If  they  find  me,  Senorita,  and 
if  they  find  you,"  was  the  response. 
"  My  cave  gives  up  no  secrets.  I  '11 

59 


CARLOTA 


lj 


have  the  bags  of  gold  and  the 
sombrero." 

"  You  let  go  of  me,  you  're 
squeezing  me  to  death  with  your 
old  arm.  I  don't  want  you  to 
touch  me!"  said  Carlota. 

The  mustard  field  was  left  be- 
hind. The  robber's  horse  bounded 
up  one  hill  and  down  another, 
through  thickets,  past  desert  places, 
on  and  on  toward  the  mountains. 
Not  a  human  being  in  sight. 

"  Very  well,  Senorita,  I  feared 
you  might  fall  off.  It  would  be 
necessary  to  hold  a  little  Yankee 
girl,  but  I  '11  let  you  take  care  of 
yourself.  It  would  n't  do  any  good 
to  try  to  get  away  from  me  here,  so 
if  you  dared  jump  you  'd  only  break 
your  pretty  neck  for  nothing." 

Many  and  many  a  time  Carlota 
60 


CARLOTA 


had  watched  parties  of  young  people 
going  miles  and  miles  on  horseback 
to  picnics,  each  Californian  with  his 
sweetheart  on  his  saddle,  both  with 
wild  flowers  on  their  hats  and  joy 
in  their  hearts.  Carlota  had  even 
dreamed  of  the  time  when  she 
would  be  one  of  a  merry  picnic 
band  galloping  away  in  the  same 
gay  style.  She  thought  of  her 
dreams  and  leaned  forward  to  be 
as  far  as  possible  from  the  robber. 

A  turn  of  the  trail  and  a  group 
of  horsemen  appeared.  They  were 
Americans  from  the  San  Gabriel 
settlement  who  had  been  several 
days  in  the  mountains  on  a  fishing 
trip. 

Carlota  instantly  recognized 
Jimmy's  Uncle  Jack.  Before  the 
robber  had  time  to  think,  the  child 

61 


CARLOTA 


screamed  for  help  and  leaped  from 
the  saddle. 

It  was  over  in  a  flash.  At  first 
Uncle  Jack  and  his  friends  thought 
only  of  Carlota;  and,  by  the  time 
they  were  sure  she  was  unhurt,  the 
robber  had  made  his  escape. 


SANTA    MARIA    LOUISA 


(D 


'HAT  are  you  made 
of,  child?"  demanded 
Uncle  Jack,  as  Carlota, 
laughing  and  crying, 
climbed  upon  his  horse,  patted  its 
neck,  and  talked  hysterical  non- 
sense in  Spanish. 

"  She    did  n't   even    bump    her 

head,"  he  explained  to  his  friends. 

"  I  Ve   practised    the   Alvarado 

leap,"  the  child  replied.     "  I  used 

to  get  hurt,  but  now  I  can  jump 

63 


j|| 


CARLOTA 


pretty  well.  After  the  robber  let 
go  of  me  I  watched  and  watched 
for  a  chance  to  get  away  from  him, 
but  there  was  no  use  jumping  off 
his  horse  just  to  show  him  I  could 
do  it.  My  !  was  n't  I  glad  when  I 
saw  you,  Senor  !  " 

"  Call  me  Uncle  Jack,"  suggested 
the  man,  "  I  'm  more  used  to  it." 

"  Oh,  dear,"  sighed  Carlota,  "  I 
forgot  that  you  are  an  Americano. 
Anyway,  surely  my  father  will  thank 
you  for  bringing  me  home  safely." 

"  Nothing  to  thank  me  for,  child, 
I  did  n't  even  pick  you  up.  You 
scrambled  upon  your  own  feet  and 
I  believe  you  captured  my  horse." 

Carlota  laughed  merrily.  "  I 
never  was  so  glad  to  see  a  horse  in 
my  life.  But,  Senor,  —  Uncle  Jack, 

if  I  had  not  jumped  from  the  rob- 

64 


CARLOTA 


lj 


ber's  saddle,  what  would  you  have 
done  ?  " 

"  Rescued  you,  of  course,  though 
even  that  would  not  have  been  worth 
mentioning,  as  there  were  six  of  us, 
all  armed.  Your  robber  would  have 
had  no  chance.  We  might  have 
given  chase  anyway.  Your  father 
would  n't  have  let  him  escape." 

"  Possibly,"  assented  Carlota, 
"but  he  will  thank  you.  I  almost 
hope  he  will  forgive  you  for  being 
an  Americano  when  I  tell  him  that 
you  saved  me." 

"  See  here,  little  girl,"  Uncle  Jack 
remarked  in  serious  tones,  "  I  wish 
no  thanks  from  your  father,  but  you 
might  do  me  one  great  favor.  Will 
you  promise  ?  " 

"  Gladly,"  agreed  Carlota,  "  that 
is  —  of  course  you  know  I  can't 

5  65 


CARLOTA 


belong  to  the  United  States.  My 
father  says  we  '11  never  live  under 
your  flag  if  we  have  to  sell  every- 
thing and  go  back  to  Old  Mexico 
or  even  to  Spain.  He  says,  though, 
the  Americanos  can  never  conquer 
the  Californians  and  if  war  is  de- 
clared he'll  fight  for  the  Mexican 
flag  as  long  as  there's  a  bit  of  green 
bunting  in  the  country  and  while  he 
has  a  drop  of  blood  left  in  his  veins! 
Oh,  I  hope  it  is  n't  anything  about 
our  flags ! " 

How  Uncle  Jack  laughed. 

"You  stand  by  Old  Mexico," 
said  he,  "  that 's  all  right.  I  only 
want  you  to  be  friends  with  my 
little  niece." 

"Oh,  she's  the  pink  and  white 
girl  at  the  Mission — Jimmy  Rad- 
cliffe's  sister." 

66 


CARLOTA 


"Yes,  that's  Mary  Louise,  and 
if  she  is  my  niece,  I  must  say  she 's 
the  dearest,  sweetest  child  that  ever 
sailed  around  Cape  Horn." 

"  I  have  never  seen  her,"  said 
Carlota,  "but  Chona,  who  always 
sees  everybody  and  goes  every- 
where, Chona  says  she 's  pretty." 

"Mary  Louise  is  good,  you 
may  be  sure  of  that;  she  is  a  reg- 
ular little  saint.  The  child  is  so 
homesick  since  her  mother  went 
away  it  is  pitiful  to  see  her." 

"It  must  be  dreary  at  the  Mis- 
sion," interrupted  Carlota,  "and  I 
will  go  and  play  with  her,  Chona 
and  I  together.  But  why  did  her 
mother  have  to  go  away?  Some 
one  told  Chona  that  her  father, 
Senor  Thomas  Radcliffe,  came 

here  to  buy  lands  for  a  big  cattle 

67 


CARLOTA 


rancho,  but  that  he  went  prospect- 
ing—  that  he  believes  there's  gold 
in  the  California  mountains." 

"  That  is  so,"  was  the  reply,  "  but 
he  was  taken  ill  and  six  weeks  ago 
the  children's  mother  left  them  with 
the  Padre  and  went  to  take  care  of 
him." 

"That  poor  little  lonesome  girl!" 
exclaimed  Carlota.  "You  tell  her 
I  will  come  and  see  her  to-morrow. 
We  're  all  going  to  the  Chino  rancho 
to-day.  Oh,  I  'm  so  glad  I  'm  not 
in  that  robber's  cave!  I  was  scared 
almost  to  death." 

Late  that  afternoon  Carlota  had 
a  glimpse  of  Mary  Louise  in  the 
Padre's  garden.  The  setting  sun 
behind  the  American  child's  golden 
hair  changed  the  shining  ringlets 
into  a  halo. 

68 


CARLOTA 


"  He  said  she  was  a  saint," 
whispered  Carlota,  clasping  her 
hands  as  she  gazed.  "  The  pretty 
little  girl.  Why,  she 's  Santa  Maria 
Louisa." 


THE    CAT   WHOSE    NAME   WAS 
YANKEE 

AYS    passed   and   Mary 
Louise   watched  in   vain 
forCarlota.     It  seemed  to 
the  little  girl  that  Yankee, 
the  cat,  was  her  only  comfort. 

"  I  am  sure  we  don't  like  that  Car- 
lota,"  she  murmured,  gathering  the 
cat  in  her  arms  after  standing  for 
half  an  hour  beside  an  adobe  wall, 
gazing  toward  the  Casa  Del  Villar. 
"  I  Ve  got  you,  anyway,"  she 

added,    and    the   cat    purred    and 

70 


CARLOTA 


purred  and  purred  just  as  he  did 
when  Mary  Louise  was  seasick  on 
the  voyage  around  Cape  Horn. 

"  The  sailor  who  gave  you  to  me 
did  n't  know  that  you  'd  be  my  only 
friend  in  this  Mexican  country. 
Oh,  Yankee,  why  did  we  ever  leave 
the  United  States  ! " 

Jimmy  overheard  his  little  sister's 
last  remark.  "  Yankee  never  did 
leave  the  United  States,  Senorita," 
he  declared. 

"  I  am  not  a  Senorita,"  pouted 
Mary  Louise,  "and  you  don't 
know  any  more  about  that  cat 
than  I  do." 

"Well,  I  know  this  much,"  argued 
the  boy,  "  that  Yankee  was  a  stow- 
away cat,  now  was  n't  he  ? " 

"What  if  he  was?" 

"  He  went  on  board  ship  one 
71 


CARLOTA 


time  in  Valparaiso,  and  that's  in 
South  America,  is  n't  it  ?  " 

"Well,  but  what  of  it?"  persisted 
Mary  Louise.  "  The  cat  changed 
cars,  that 's  all.  He  probably  went 
to  Valparaiso  on  a  Boston  boat. 
I  'm  sure  I  saw  this  very  cat  in 
Boston !" 

"That's  all  you  know,"  Jimmy 
went  on,  "that  cat,  Miss  Radcliffe, 
came  on  a  Spanish  whaling  vessel 
from  Spain.  You  ought  to  see  how 
he  rubs  up  against  Antonio  Moreno. 
He  rcognizes  a  countryman,  I  tell 
you.  Why,  that  cat  is  pure  Castilian 
—  Spanish  to  the  backbone!"  and 
J  immy  began  whistling  the  Mexican 
national  air. 

"  They  don't  have  whaling  vessels 
in  Spain,"  sputtered  Mary  Louise, 

"and   that's  all  you   know   about 

72 


CARLOTA 


anything.  Dear  old  cat,  I  can't 
imagine  what  I  'd  do  without 
you." 

"  Better  not  let  Yankee  see  Car- 
lota,"  Jimmy  suggested,  grinning  at 
the  sight  of  his  sister's  unhappy 
face,  "and  —  and  my  dear  Miss 
Radcl iff e,  don't  cry;  if  you  get  that 
cat  wet  he  '11  run  away  to  see  Carlota, 
sure." 

"  Yankee  would  n't  look  at  Car- 
lota,"  was  the  retort. 

"Wouldn't,  hey?  What '11  you 
bet?" 

"  Yankee  belongs  to  the  United 
States,  don't  you,  Yankee  ? "  was 
the  response. 

"You  wait,"  predicted  Jimmy. 
"  The  first  chance  that  cat  gets  to 
go  over  to  the  Casa  Del  Villar,  he'll 
go.  Can 't  help  it.  He's  Spanish ! " 

73 


CARLOTA 


Mary  Louise  had  the  last  word. 
"  He  's  American  ! "  she  insisted. 

At  that  moment  the  Padre  ap- 
peared. It  's  bad  manners  to 
quarrel  in  the  presence  of  a  Padre. 
Mary  Louise  wiped  her  eyes,  then 
listened  with  Jimmy  to  a  talk  on 
orange  culture.  It  was  interesting 
to  know  that  the  first  orange  trees 
in  California  were  planted  by  the 
Padres  in  San  Gabriel.  Mary 
Louise  asked  many  questions:  but 
Jimmy  kept  the  eye  of  his  mind  on 
Yankee. 

When  the  bells  of  San  Gabriel 
sounded  the  evening  chimes  and 
Mary  Louise  at  the  Padre's  feet 
listened  with  penitent  heart  as  she 
recalled  her  many  imperfections 
and  especially  the  unkind  things 
she  had  said  to  her  brother  but  a 

74 


1 CARLOTA p 

few  hours  before,  that  brother  was 
hastening  toward  the  Casa  Del 
Villar  with  Yankee  in  his  arms. 

In  the  gathering  darkness,  for 
night  descends  quickly  in  southern 
California,  Jimmy  crept  close  to 
an  outer  porch  of  the  adobe  house 
where  Carlota  sat  with  a  book  in 
her  lap,  and  released  Yankee. 

Instantly  Carlota  recognized  the 
cat.  Springing  to  her  feet  and 
stamping  upon  the  stone  floor  she 
exclaimed : 

"  Go  home,  you  gato  Americano ! " 

Jimmy  thought  his  scheme  had 
failed :  but  he  did  n't  know  Yankee. 
Approaching  the  little  Spanish  girl 
Yankee  made  a  few  mewing  re- 
marks, waved  his  tail  and  rubbed 
himself  against  her  in  a  fashion  of 
his  own  that  proved  irresistible. 

75 


jll 


CARLOTA 


Carlota  petted  him  and  then  talked 
pages  of  Spanish  that  Jimmy  inter- 
preted to  suit  himself. 

Mary  Louise  wept  for  her  cat 
that  night,  but  Jimmy  did  n't  dare 
do  more  than  sympathize.  The 
next  day  he  went  in  search  of  his 
sister's  pet  and  told  this  story  on 
his  return  : 

"  Found  your  cat.  Did  n't  bring 
it  home  because  I  thought  you'd 
have  to  go  after  it  yourself  or 
you  wouldn't  believe  where  I 
found  it." 

"Oh,  where,  Jimmy?" 

"  Over  to  Carlota's.  She  was 
giving  it  milk  to  drink  out  of  a  blue 
bowl  that  is  exactly  like  the  Mis- 
sion dishes  —  s'pose  Yankee  did  n't 
know  the  difference." 

The  next  day  the  cat  returned 

76 


CARLOTA 


and  begged  to  be  loved.  At  first 
Mary  Louise  refused  to  caress  the 
runaway. 

"  You  old  Spanish  cat,"  she 
sobbed,  "you  better  go  back  and 
stay  with  Carlota.  I  don't  like 
her  —  but  come  here,  Kitty,  Kitty, 
Kitty,  nice  Kitty,  oh,  Yankee  ! 
Don't  go  over  there  again !  Re- 
member, Kitty,  we  belong  to  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  !  " 


77 


TWO    SIDES    OF   A    QUESTION 

SUNDAY  was  a  hard  day 
for  Mary   Louise.     When 
she  tried  to  get  ready  for 
church  Jimmy  refused  to 
button  her  dress  and  she  had  to  ask 
Anita   for   help.       Perhaps   Anita 
did  n't  mean  to  be  unkind  but  she 
jerked  the  tiny  buttons  and  yanked 
at  the  hair  ribbons;  didn't  even  try 
to  tie  a  pretty   bow.     Something 
Anita    said    about    troublesome 

Americanos    made    the   little    girl 

78 


CARLOTA 


cry;  and  at  last  when  she  started 
for  church,  Jimmy  had  run 
away. 

Alone,  Mary  Louise,  red-eyed 
and  miserable,  entered  the  open 
doors  beneath  the  choir  loft.  It 
was  nothing  to  her  then  that  those 
massive  doors  were  hand  carved 
and  brought  from  Spain.  Years 
and  years  afterward,  when  Mary 
Louise  was  an  old  lady,  she  saw 
those  same  doors  at  the  World's 
Fair  in  Chicago,  and  smiled. 

That  morning,  feeling  thoroughly 
dismal,  she  remembered  that  be- 
neath the  chapel  were  buried  many 
of  the  greatest  men  of  early  Cali- 
fornia. At  the  foot  of  the  altar 
rested  Padre  Sanchez,  once  presi- 
dent of  all  the  Missions.  It  was 
particularly  mournful  to  think  of 

79 


CARLOTA 


him,  as  he  was  said  to  have  died  of 
grief  at  the  ruin  of  San  Gabriel. 

While  Mexican  families  began 
seating  themselves  around  her  the 
child  tried  to  imagine  scenes  of 
other  days  when  the  church  was 
filled  with  Indian  worshippers  sit- 
ting or  kneeling  upon  the  tiled 
floor  and  musicians  in  gay  costume 
filed  into  the  choir  loft  from  the 
outer  stairway,  playing  upon  their 
harps  and  violins. 

Mary  Louise  missed  her  own 
church.  Everything  about  her  in 
that  foreign  land  was  new  and 
strange.  As  usual,  the  image  of 
Saint  Gabriel  behind  the  altar,  with 
Saint  Francis  and  Saint  Padua  on 
either  side,  were  seen  dimly  through 
a  mist  of  tears. 

The  Padre  did  n't  compel  Mary 

so 


CARLOTA 


Louise  and  J  immy  to  attend  services 
in  the  chapel,  but  he  was  pleased, 
that  good  man,  whenever  he  saw 
the  little  sister  in  his  congregation. 
How  surprised  he  would  have  been 
if  he  had  known  that  Sunday  after 
Sunday  the  little  Americano  fol- 
lowed in  the  footsteps  of  departed 
Indians  for  the  purpose  of  gazing 
upon  the  lovely  face  of  Senora 
Dona  Ysabel. 

When  Mary  Louise  dried  her 
tears  and  began  studying  the  paint- 
ings of  the  twelve  apostles  upon 
the  walls,  the  Del  Villar  family 
appeared.  Don  Lisandro  made 
her  smile.  She  and  Jimmy  often 
wondered  how  their  father  would 
look  dressed  in  Spanish  costume. 
The  straight,  strong  man  wore  an 
exquisitely  embroidered  white  shirt 


81 


CARLOTA 


open  at  the  neck.  His  vest  was 
yellow  silk  trimmed  with  silver 
braid.  His  short  coat  was  crimson 
velvet.  The  trousers  of  the  same 
color  and  material  were  slashed  on 
the  outer  side  to  the  knee  and  laced 
over  long  white  silk  stockings  that 
wrinkled.  Around  his  waist  was 
tied  a  bright  blue  silk  sash  heavily 
fringed. 

The  Dona  Ysabel,  his  wife,  wore 
a  short-sleeved  white  gown  of  soft 
silk  with  a  rose  pink  sash.  Carlota 
and  Chona  were  also  in  white. 

From  her  corner  Mary  Louise 
watched  the  four,  one  minute  won- 
dering how  Carlota's  mother  could 
wear  such  an  immense  back  comb, 
the  next  second  marvelling  that 
Chona  managed  to  keep  so  quiet 

and  look  so  pious. 

82 


CARLOTA 


At  last  Carlota  turned  around, 
meeting  a  wistful  gaze  from  two  big 
blue  eyes.  Mary  Louise  smiled, 
but  Carlota,  pretending  not  to  see 
the  friendly  advance,  stared  at  the 
wall  behind  the  little  stranger,  al- 
though her  cheeks  flushed  until 
they  were  nearly  the  color  of  her 
father's  coat.  Hurt  and  angry, 
Mary  Louise  swallowed  the  lump 
in  her  throat  and  winked  back  the 
tears. 

One  little  act  redeemed  that 
morning.  Outside  the  chapel,  Car- 
lota's  mother,  in  passing  the  Amer- 
ican child,  lifted  a  bright  curl  and 
called  it  hair  of  gold.  A  loving 
look  accompanied  the  words  and 
for  the  moment  Mary  Louise  was 
happy.  Later  she  hugged  the  cat 
and  wept  upon  his  soft  fur. 
83 


CARLOTA 


"That  Spanish  girl  is  horrid," 
she  wailed,  "  and  Yankee,  don't 
you  ever,  ever,  ever  go  near  her, 
ever,  ever ! " 

That  night  Jimmy  again  guided 
the  footsteps  of  the  cat  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Del  Villar  rose  garden, 
and  once  more  that  day  Yankee 
was  eagerly  welcomed. 

Carlota  talked  Spanish  to  the 
cat  and  whether  Yankee  under- 
stood it  or  not,  it  was  safe  to  con- 
fide in  a  creature  who  could  repeat 
neither  Spanish  nor  English. 

"  Kitty,"  said  Carlota,  "  if  your 
mistress  could  only  know  that  my 
heart  is  pretty  near  breaking  in  ten 
pieces  on  account  of  the  war  and 
because  I  can't  even  speak  to  her, 
I  would  be  glad.  I  am  so  sorry 

for  that  poor  little  homesick  girl, 

84 


CARLOTA 


but  what  can  I  do?  My  father 
hates  the  Americanos  and  he  told 
me  I  must  n't  even  look  at  that 
pretty  Santa  Maria  Louisa.  I 
wonder  what  her  Uncle  Jack 
thinks  ? 

"And,  oh,  Kitty,  my  father  says 
he 's  going  to  be  ready  to  drive  the 
Americanos  out  of  the  country  the 
minute  war  is  declared  between 
Mexico  and  the  United  States. 
He  wants  to  fight,  and,  oh,  he  '11  be 
killed.  Oh,  dear,  maybe  we'll  all 
be  dead  before  next  Christmas. 

"Don't  go  home  to-night,  Kitty, 
stay  here  and  be  a  Spanish  cat 
until  to-morrow." 


MARY   LOUISE   AND   THE    GRIZZLY 
BEAR 

IF  there  was  one  thing  Mary 
Louise    feared    more    than 
another   in   the  vicinity  of 
San  Gabriel,  that  one  thing 
was  the  grizzly  bear.     Yet  the  time 
came  when  the  little  girl  rejoiced 
that    she   had    had    an    adventure 
with   the    biggest,    fiercest    grizzly 
bear   ever   dragged   into    the 
Mission. 

Antonio    Moreno    often    told 
Mary    Louise    and    Jimmy    bear 

86 


CARLOTA 


[|» 


stories.  He  said  that  every  Span- 
ish family  in  the  country  related 
thrilling  tales  of  grizzlies.  The 
bravest  young  men  used  to  ride 
out  alone  to  kill  the  bears. 
When  a  young  man  lassoed  one, 
he  dragged  it  to  a  tree,  slipped 
out  of  his  saddle  and  killed  the 
beast  with  one  blow  from  his  Mex- 
ican hunting  knife.  Sometimes 
these  young  men  lassoed  bears  for 
the  fun  of  dragging  them  through 
the  streets  at  night  past  the  homes 
of  their  friends.  Once  in  a  while 
two  or  three  bears  trotted  down 
the  hills  into  a  village  where  young 
men  were  serenading  their  sweet- 
hearts. This  made  a  change  in 
the  music. 

Herdsmen  and  hunters  were  so 
often  killed  by  grizzlies  that  one  of 
87 


CARLOTA 


the  governors  of  California  ap- 
pointed expert  bear  hunters  to 
destroy  them.  Antonio  Moreno 
liked  especially  to  tell  the  children 
of  brave  feats  performed  by  one 
of  these  experts,  Don  Rafael  Soto, 
who  used  to  hide  in  a  pit  covered 
with  logs  and  leaves  and  baited 
with  fresh  beef.  When  the  bear 
came  for  the  beef  Don  Rafael 
shot  him  from  beneath. 

Mary  Louise  wished  that  Don 
Rafael  had  killed  all  the  bears  in- 
stead of  leaving  such  vast  numbers 
around  San  Gabriel.  She  thought 
Jimmy  was  nothing  short  of  a  sav- 
age because  he  never  missed  seeing 
a  bull  and  bear  fight  if  he  could 
reach  the  scene. 

There  was  a  time  when  Jimmy 
thought  the  young  Mexicans,  who 

88 


CARLOTA 


went  to  the  foothills  and  lassoed 
and  dragged  bears  into  the 
Mission  for  these  fights,  were 
braver  men  than  any  heroes  of 
the  American  Revolution.  At 
least,  so  he  told  Mary  Louise. 

Many  an  hour  the  boy  practised 
with  a  reata.  He  lassoed  whatever 
he  chose  from  sticks  of  wood  to  the 
cat  and  Mary  Louise.  Once  the 
little  sister  narrowly  escaped  losing 
an  ear.  After  that  episode  the 
Padre  interfered.  The  only  diver- 
sion left  Jimmy  for  the  next  few 
days  was  scaring  his  victim  with 
horned  toads  and  showing  her  bear 
tracks  near  the  school-room  window. 
H  e  made  the  tracks  himself,  but  con- 
vinced the  little  girl  that  bears  were 
in  the  habit  of  climbing  to  the  win- 
dow and  gazing  upon  her  as  she  slept. 
89 


f 


CARLOTA 


It  was  early  summer,  the  time 
of  the  yearly  round-up,  that  Mary 
Louise  met  her  grizzly.  Thanks 
to  the  Padre,  the  child  knew  that 
from  early  days  a  round-up  took 
place  once  a  year,  when  cattle  were 
driven  in  from  surrounding  pastures 
and  the  herds  belonging  to  different 
ranchos  were  separated.  Theyoung 
cattle  were  then  marked  with  the 
brand  of  their  owners.  The  Padre 
showed  the  children  the  famous 
old  branding  iron  of  San  Gabriel. 
Jimmy  thought  himself  the  hero  of 
that  particular  round-up  because 
Antonio  Moreno  was  appointed 
one  of  the  special  officers  of  the 
plain.  Their  duty  was  to  settle 
disputes  and  keep  order. 

At  the  feast  that  followed   the 

round-up  it  was  rumored  that  Car- 
go 


CARLOTA 


lota's  mother  had  lost  a  pearl  neck- 
lace,an  heirloom  from  Spain.  Mary 
Louise  and  the  Padre  searched 
through  the  early  afternoon  for  the 
treasure,  then  the  Padre  returned 
to  the  Mission,  leaving  Mary  Louise 
to  follow  later  on  her  burro. 

Most  of  the  time  the  little  girl 
lingered  apart  from  the  merry- 
makers, always  trying  to  get  a 
glimpse  of  Carlota's  mother. 

Two  hours  passed  when  it  was 
discovered  that  the  Senora  Dona 
Ysabel  was  missing.  At  that  an- 
nouncement dozens  of  young  men 
sprang  into  their  saddles  and  gal- 
loped in  search  of  her. 

"  We  know  which  way  she  went, 

don't  we,  Burrito  ?"  whispered 

Mary  Louise.     "  She  walked  over 

that  way  toward  home,  looking  on 

91 


CARLOTA 


the  ground,  probably  hunting  for 
her  necklace.  We'll  find  her,  and 
oh,  Burrito,  she  '11  speak  to  me; 
she'll  say, '  Why,  have  I  been  gone 
long  ?  How  strange  that  they 
think  I  'm  lost.  Thank  you,  little 
girl,  for  telling  me ! ' 

Thus  Mary  Louise  went  in 
search  of  the  Dona  Ysabel  and 
came  without  warning,  except  from 
the  frantic  burro,  face  to  face  with 
a  grizzly  bear  —  a  more  terrible 
bear  than  she  had  ever  imagined. 
Certainly  the  burro  did  all  he 
could  to  prevent  the  meeting,  but 
Mary  Louise  did  n't  understand 
why  he  became  so  unmanageable. 
The  child  screamed,  expecting  the 
next  minute  to  be  killed. 

Instead  of  giving  chase  the  bear 

merely  growled,  snarled,  and  turned 
92 


CARLOTA 


toward  a  rock  almost  hidden  in  the 
thicket.  The  burro  whirled,  but  in 
that  second  Mary  Louise  heard  a 
voice  calling  to  her  from  the  nearest 
crevice  in  the  rock. 

"  Fly,  child,  go  for  my  husband 
quick  —  quick.  I  could  barely 
squeeze  in  here  —  fly,  fly!  I  am 
afraid  the  bear  will  turn  on  you." 

When  Burrito  started  home- 
ward he  did  n't  choose  his  steps 
but  tore  through  the  thicket  re- 
gardless of  the  safety  of  the  fright- 
ened child  upon  his  back.  Her 
clothes  were  torn  almost  off  and 
her  face  and  arms  were  bleeding 
from  thorns  and  underbrush  when 
the  burro  finally  threw  her  almost 
under  the  hoofs  of  Don  Lisandro's 
horse. 

Mary   Louise  managed    to  tell 

93 


CARLOTA 


llj 
\V* 


her  story  before  she  fainted.  The 
next  thing  the  child  knew  she  was 
lying  on  a  couch  in  the  Casa  Del 
Villar.  Carlota  was  kneeling  be- 
side her,  clinging  to  one  little  hand, 
and  Mary  Louise  could  scarcely 
believe  it  was  her  own  hand  so 
lovingly  held.  On  the  couch, 
smoothing  back  the  golden  ring- 
lets, sat  Carlota's  mother,  pale  but 
unhurt.  Standing  near  was  Don 
Lisandro,  who  looked  upon  her 
with  the  tenderness  of  a  father 
instead  of  appearing  the  haughty 
Spanish  gentleman  she  had 
known. 

"Where  's  Jimmy  ?  "  asked  Mary 
Louise. 

Carlota  smiled  and  kissed 
Jimmy's  sister.  "  He  's  listening 
to  the  bear  growl,"  she  answered, 

94 


CARLOTA 


"  and  wishing  that  he  had  been  a 
man  and  could  have  lassoed  that 
bear  the  way  my  father  did." 

"  What 's  the  matter  with  me  ?  " 
continued  the  child,  "  am  I  hurt  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit,  but  mamma  says 
that  the  Padre  and  Docas  and 
Anita  will  have  to  live  without 
you  for  a  while.  You  're  going  to 
stay  here  and  have  a  good  time." 

"  But — but  your  father  ? "  faltered 
the  little  American. 

"  My  home  is  yours,"  said  Don 
Lisandro. 


95 


CARLOTA'S    HOME 


aARLOTA    and   Chona 
did    everything    possible 
to     please     their    guest. 
The  Padre   excused    her 
from    lessons.       He    told    Mary 
Louise  that  she  could  learn  more 
Spanish  during  her  visit  with  the 
Del  Villars  than  he  could  teach  her 
in  many  months;  an  arrangement 
which    satisfied    all    children    con- 
cerned   except    Jimmy,    who   was 

obliged  to  copy  Spanish  sentences 
96 


CARLOTA 


by  himself  in  the  presence  of  the 
Padre.  It  would  never  do  to  aim 
paper  wads  at  the  Padre,  nor  drop 
a  horned  toad  down  his  neck,  hence 
Jimmy  missed  his  sister. 

As  days  passed  Mary  Louise  was 
thankful  that  Jimmy  was  left  at  the 
Mission.  He  would  have  shocked 
Carlota's  father  and  mother 
almost  beyond  hope  of  forgiveness. 
When  Jimmy  tried  his  best  to  be 
good  he  was  n't  half  so  well  be- 
haved as  the  rudest  Spanish  child. 

Not  only  did  Carlota  and  Chona 
obey  their  father  and  mother  strictly 
and  as  if  obedience  was  their  great- 
est pleasure,  but  all  the  children 
connected  with  the  household  were 
angelic  in  their  ways.  They  never 
teased  their  parents  nor  whined, 
nor  cried. 

7  97 


CARLOTA 


The  principal  room  in  the  Del 
Villar  house,  which  was  made  of 
adobes,  or  sun-baked  brick,  with  a 
roof  of  red  tiles,  was  a  large  hall 
in  the  centre.  This  was  designed 
for  dancing  parties  and  Mary 
Louise  thought  it  the  most  at- 
tractive room  she  had  ever  seen. 
The  mantelpiece  was  brought  from 
Honolulu,  the  iron  supporting  it 
from  China,  while  the  beam  ceiling 
and  sides  of  the  room  were  of  red- 
wood from  the  Sonoma  forests. 
Bearskin  rugs  and  goatskins  cov- 
ered the  floor. 

There  the  children  played  dur- 
ing the  noonday  heat  and  scarcely 
an  evening  passed  without  witness- 
ing a  gay  gathering  within  its  walls. 

The  living  rooms  and  bedrooms 
opened  off  the  hall  and  many  a  night 


CARLOTA 


Carlota,  Chona,  and  Mary  Louise, 
having  been  sent  to  bed,  begged 
to  have  their  door  left  open  that 
they  might  hear  the  music  of  the 
guitars  and  violins  and  watch  the 
dancers  until  they  could  no  longer 
stay  awake. 

It  is  strange,  but  Mary  Louise 
missed  her  own  mother  more  dur- 
ing those  happy  days  than  before. 
She  was  accustomed  to  a  mother 
who  gave  her  children  an  occa- 
sional hug,  cuddled  them  beside 
her  in  the  firelight  and  tucked 
them  in  bed  at  night.  Even 
Jimmy  was  a  good  boy  when  his 
mother's  arms  were  around  him. 
Mary  Louise  soon  felt  that  the 
lovely  Dona  Ysabel  was  n't  nearly 
so  sweet  as  her  own  mother. 

Carlota,  with  permission,  showed 

99 


CARLOTA 


Mary  Louise  her  mother's  jewels; 
long  strings  of  pearls  and  rubies ; 
gold  buckles  encrusted  with  pre- 
cious stones  ;  pins  of  all  shapes 
and  sizes ;  curious  necklaces  from 
Old  Mexico,  and  priceless  rings, 
many  of  them  heirlooms  from 
Spain.  One  day  Carlota  unlocked 
a  door  and  showed  Mary  Louise 
Don  Lisandro's  bags  of  gold. 

Sometimes,  seated  in  a  massive 
arm-chair  in  the  long  hall,  Dona 
Ysabel  told  the  children  stories, 
while  Carlota,  Chona,  and  Mary 
Louise  lay  on  a  goatskin  rug  at 
her  feet. 

Carlota  loved  to  hear  stories  of 
Father  Serra  and  of  the  time  just 
before  his  death  when  he  set  out 
from  San  Gabriel  to  found  the 
Mission  of  San  Buenaventura 


IOO 


SOMETIMES DONA  YSABEL 
TOLD   THE   CHILDREN  STORIES" 


CARLOTA 


fc 

with  the  governor  and  seventy 
soldiers  in  the  procession.  Mary 
Louise  preferred  listening  to  le- 
gends, particularly  the  legend  of 
the  San  Gabriel  bells.  It  was  the 
story  of  a  maiden  in  Spain  who 
died  of  grief  because  her  sweet- 
heart was  killed  close  by  the  un- 
finished San  Gabriel  church,  and 
who,  when  she  was  taken  to  see 
the  casting  of  the  bells  which  were 
to  be  sent  over  the  seas  to  the 
Mission,  threw  in  her  gold  rings 
and  jewels.  Other  Spanish 
maidens  followed  her  example, 
which  accounts  for  wonderful 
tones  of  sweetness  in  the  San 
Gabriel  chimes. 

"The  Santa  Maria  Louisa  is  so 
fond  of  legends,"  Carlota  suggested 
one  evening  in  the  great  hall,  "  tell 


101 


CARLOTA 


her  the  legend  of  the  rain  prayer." 
And  Dona  Ysabel  told  it  as 
follows: 

LEGEND  OF  THE  RAIN  PRAYER 

IN  the  long  ago  the  vineyards  and 
the  grainfields  of  San  Gabriel  needed 
rain.  Evening  after  evening  the  Padre, 
the  Spanish  settlers  in  the  village,  and 
the  Indians  looked  toward  the  mountains 
for  signs  of  rain.  Snow  was  deep  upon 
the  peaks,  but  not  a  cloud.  Day  after 
day  the  sun  beat  down  upon  the  valley 
and  the  plains,  scorching  the  grainfields 
and  withering  the  vineyards,  while  the 
cattle  died  of  thirst.  The  river-bed,  wide 
and  dry,  stretched  toward  the  sea  a  path 
of  burning  sand. 

Upon  their  knees  the  Padre,  the  settlers 
and  the  Indians  knelt  beneath  the  open 
.sky  and  prayed  for  rain.  They  bowed 
themselves  low  in  the  dust,  beseeching 

IO2 


CARLOTA 


for  rain.  Yet  there  came  no  rain  or 
clouds  around  the  mountain  peaks,  al- 
though the  settlers  and  the  Indians  were 
dying. 

At  last  the  Padre,  half  despairing,  spoke 
these  words :  "  Oh,  my  people,  the  Father 
will  not  listen  to  our  prayers.  He  has 
turned  away  his  face.  We  have  sinned. 
But  the  little  children  —  God  will  hear 
the  little  children.  Let  us  send  them 
to  the  vineyards  to  pray  for  mercy  —  to 
beg  the  Father  to  send  us  rain." 

At  twilight,  when  the  Mission  bells 
were  ringing,  a  long  procession  of  little 
children  robed  in  purest  white  obeyed 
the  Padre's  will.  Straight  to  the  vine- 
yards went  the  little  children,  two  by 
two,  and  on  their  knees  they  sang  the 
harvest  song.  Then,  folding  their  hands, 
with  upraised  faces  they  prayed  the 
Heavenly  Father  to  send  them  rain. 
These  were  the  beautiful  children  of  long 
ago. 

Still  rang  the  sweet-toned  Mission  bells 
103 


CARLOTA 


and  while  the  children  knelt  so  earnestly 
praying  "  Oh,  Father,  send  us  rain,"  there 
came  a  sudden  breeze  from  off  the  sea. 
Around  the  mountain  peaks  dark  clouds 
began  to  cluster  and  the  waiting  people 
said,  "  The  Father  hears  their  prayer." 

Swiftly  came  the  darkness,  but  with  it 
fell  the  rain  upon  the  dying  valley  and 
the  little  Mission  town. 

Then  the  Padre  in  the  chapel  knelt  and 
all  the  people  with  him  while  they  thanked 
the  pitying  Father  for  the  rain.  Then 
the  little  children  sang  again  the  harvest 
song. 

This  is  the  legend  Carlota's 
mother  told  the  children  when  the 
Mission  bells  were  ringing  the 
evening  chimes. 


104 


JIMMY    IN    DISGRACE 


ONE  day  the  Padre,  intent 
upon    his    sermon,  forgot 
about    Jimmy's   lessons, 
and    Jimmy,  glad    to    es- 
cape  the   lessons,    began    looking 
around  for  something  to  do.    With 
both  Mary  Louise  and  the  cat  at 
the  neighbor's,  there  was  no  one 
he  could  safely  tease. 

Wandering  into  the   garden, 
Jimmy  discovered  his  Uncle  Jack's 

oldest,  worst-looking  sombrero  lying 

105 


CARLOTA 


on  the  adobe  wall.  Instantly  the 
boy  remembered  that  Uncle  Jack 
had  arranged  to  meet  Don  Lisan- 
dro  at  three  o'clock  that  afternoon 
to  purchase  a  strip  of  land  adjoin- 
ing some  property  he  had  bought 
for  a  future  cattle  ranch.  Jimmy 
grinned. 

"Uncle  Jack  doesn't  know 
what's  what  or  he  would  trim  his 
sombrero  before  he  goes  to  meet 
the  great  Don.  How  he  will  look 
beside  that  gay  Spanish  gentleman! 
Let  me  see,  what  can  we  do  for 
you,  Uncle  Jack?  No  jewels  on 
your  sombrero  ?  Si,  Senor,  you 
need  help !  No  sabe  Americano 
without  jewels  on  his  sombrero!" 

The  sun  was  bright  and  strong. 
Jimmy  picked  up  a  bit  of  thick 
glass,  and,  after  some  practice, 

106 


CARLOTA 


managed  to  focus  the  rays  of  light 
to  his  satisfaction.  At  first  he 
burned  scallops  around  the  som- 
brero's brim. 

"Si,  Senor,"  he  chuckled, 
"Americano  muchacho  make  you 
jewelled  sombrero,  sabe?" 

Not  content  with  scallops  alone, 
Jimmy  burned  into  the  sombrero 
outlines  of  bears  and  other  beasts 
as  well  as  suggestions  of  blazing 
jewels.  Next  thing  he  knew 
Uncle  Jack  appeared  in  search  of 
his  hat.  Jimmy  hid  outside  the 
adobe  wall  to  hear  Uncle  Jack's 
remarks.  To  the  boy's  surprise, 
his  uncle,  seeming  in  great  haste, 
snatched  his  hat,  jammed  it  on  his 
head,  mounted  his  horse,  and  gal- 
loped away  to  keep  his  engage- 
ment with  Don  Lisandro. 
107 


CARLOTA 


"  The  Senor  did  n't  notice  the 
decorations,"  grumbled  Jimmy, 
climbing  upon  the  adobe  wall  to 
watch  the  retreating  horse  and 
rider.  "  Don  Lisandro  will, 
though,  and  then  I  wonder  what 
will  happen  ?  I  did  n't  think  he 
would  wear  that  old  sombrero  this 
afternoon,  anyway." 

An  hour  later  Antonio  Moreno 
told  Jimmy  what  happened  and 
advised  him  to  keep  out  of  his 
Uncle  Jack's  sight  for  several  days, 
if  possible. 

"Si,  Senor,  he  say,  'let  me  catch 
that  Jeemy.  I  feex  him." 

When  Don  Lisandro  observed 
the  sombrero,  he  was  sure  the 
American  wore  it  as  an  insult. 
He  wished  to  fight.  Uncle  Jack 
recognized  J  immy's  work,  explained 


CARLOTA 


and  apologized.  The  Don  decided 
not  to  kill  Uncle  Jack  on  the  spot 
but  there  was  no  land  bought  or 
sold  that  day,  and  an  angry  man 
searched  the  Mission  grounds  for 
the  penitent  artist. 

The  American  muchacho  didn't 
know  where  to  hide  and  in  attempt- 
ing to  keep  out  of  his  Uncle  Jack's 
sight  he  ran  into  Don  Lisandro  on 
horseback.  Grasping  his  riding 
whip  the  Don  sprang  to  the  ground 
and  threatened  dreadful  things  in 
Spanish  and  English  when  he 
should  get  his  hands  on  Jimmy. 

Like  a  flash  of  lightning  Jimmy 
climbed  a  slender  eucalyptus  tree 
and  the  only  thing  Don  Lisandro 
could  do  was  to  remain  below  and 
continue  his  remarks  in  two  lan- 
guages. At  last,  having  exhausted 
109 


CARLOTA 


t 

his  vocabulary,  the  Don  galloped 
away  and  Jimmy  began  a  hasty 
descent.  Fortunately,  as  it  proved, 
the  boy  fell  and  Antonio  Moreno 
picked  him  up,  unconscious,  and 
carried  him  to  the  Mission.  Jimmy 
quickly  revived,  but  looked  so  pale 
and  was  so  bruised  and  hurt,  Uncle 
Jack  really  couldn't  give  him  the 
promised  thrashing. 

When  Mary  Louise  heard  of 
the  accident,  she  bade  her  friends 
good-by,  took  her  cat  and  hastened 
to  the  Mission,  where  she  wept  over 
her  injured  brother. 

"What  you  crying  'bout,  silly?" 
demanded  Jimmy,  the  first  minute 
he  and  his  sister  were  alone.  "  Don't 
you  know  that  was  a  lucky  fall  for 
me  ?  I  'm  not  hurt,  don't  make 
such  a  fuss.  I  could  get  up  and 


1 10 


CARLOTA 


climb  that  eucalyptus  tree  again 
to-night  if  I  wanted  to.  I  'm  just 
staying  in  bed  and  looking  sort  of 
sad  so  Uncle  Jack  won't  get  all 
tired  out  giving  me  that  lickin'. 
Sabe,  Senorita?" 


IN  THE   PADRE'S   GARDEN 

aARLOTA    realized    that 
there  was  war  in  the  land 
when  she  saw  her  father 
buckle  on  his  sword  and 
pistols    and    ride   away   to   join 
Governor   Pico's  forces  at   Santa 
Barbara.     News  came  in  July  that 
the  United   States  flag  had  been 
raised  in  Monterey  and  San  Fran- 
cisco and  Don  Lisandro  waited  to 
hear  no  more. 


112 


CARLOTA 


Both  Governor  Pico  and 
General  Castro  had  issued  one 
proclamation  after  another,  urging 
the  Californians  to  rally  for  the 
defence  of  their  country.  Ameri- 
cans, particularly  Fremont's  men, 
were  called  highwaymen  and  van- 
dals. The  vice-consul  of  Spain, 
then  in  Santa  Barbara,  denounced 
the  invaders  as  an  armed  gang  of 
United  States  thieves.  Through- 
out California  the  feeling  against 
Americans  was  intense. 

Jimmy  Radcliffe  listened  to  the 
daily  gossip  at  the  barracks  with 
his  mouth  and  eyes  wide  open  ; 
Mary  Louise  wept  and  trembled ; 
but  Carlota  longed  to  avenge  her 
country's  wrongs.  When  she  heard 
that  the  Mexican  colors  had  been 

hauled   down   at    Monterey,    the 

8  113 


CARLOTA 


American  flag  raised  in  its  place, 
and  that  Commodore  Sloat  de- 
clared his  intention  of  carrying  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  throughout  Cali- 
fornia, she  was  furious. 

"If  I  were  a  man  I  would  go 
to  the  war,  too,"  she  cried.  "  That 
American  commodore  dared  to  say 
in  his  proclamation  that  he  comes 
as  a  friend  to  the  inhabitants  of 
California.  Oh,  I  wish  I  were  a 


man." 


Carlota  was  glad  when  the 
governor  appointed  her  father  one 
of  the  captains  of  militia  known  as 
"defenders  of  national  independ- 
ence and  of  the  laws,"  and  tried 
her  childish  best  to  induce  Antonio 
Moreno  and  other  Mexicans  to  go 
at  once  to  Los  Angeles  without 

waiting   for  the  signal   of   alarm, 
114 


CARLOTA 


when  every  Californian  between 
the  ages  of  fifteen  and  sixty  would 
be  compelled  to  fight,  according 
to  the  proclamation  of  Governor 
Pico,  issued  the  last  week  in  July. 
Antonio  Moreno  did  n't  tell  the 
little  Spanish  girl  that  his  sym- 
pathies at  that  time  were  with  the 
Americans  and  that  he  and  many  of 
his  friends  were  tired  of  Mexican 
rule. 

Two  months  later  an  Indian 
woman,  one  of  the  household  ser- 
vants, was  taken  ill  ;  and  Carlota, 
to  please  her,  went  for  the  Padre. 
She  found  Mary  Louise  in  the 
garden. 

"  Where  's  the  Padre?"  asked 
Carlota. 

"In  his  house,"  was  the  reply; 
"he  has  a  caller  just  now.  I  am 
"5 


CARLOTA 


so  glad  you  came  over.  It's  dread- 
fully lonesome." 

"  But  your  mother  is  with  you 
now,"  suggested  Carlota,  "  surely 
you  're  not  lonesome  when  you 
have  your  mother  ?  " 

Mary  Louise,  resting  her  face 
upon  Yankee's  head,  began  to  cry. 
"  But  I  have  just  found  out,"  she 
sobbed,  "that  my  father  is  in  the 
war  and  that  Uncle  Jack  is  fighting 
the  Desert  Indians  and  watching 
Castro's  men  on  the  San  Bernar- 
dino frontier.  Oh,  dear,  dear.  I 
wish  we  'd  never  left  the  United 
States." 

Carlota  was  sorry  for  Mary 
Louise.  She  was  wondering  what 
she  could  say  to  comfort  her  little 
friend  when  the  golden  head  was 
lifted.  Mary  Louise  dropped  the 

116 


CARLOTA 


cat,  rose  to  her  feet,  and  wiped  her 
eyes. 

"  I  'd  like  to  know,"  said  she, 
"what  the  Mexicans  are  thinking 
about  ?  Why  don't  they  know 
enough  to  give  up  before  any 
more  men  are  killed  ?  My  father 
may  shoot  your  father  before  sun- 
set to-night.  Only  think,  Carlota, 
how  dreadful  it  is  for  General 
Flores  to  hold  out  against  the 
United  States  after  the  Governor 
and  General  Castro  have  fled." 

"  My  father,"  was  the  reply, 
"would  shed  his  last  drop  of 
blood,  I  tell  you,  in  defence  of  his 
country." 

"  Yes,  but  what  kind  of  a  country 
is  it?"  inquired  Mary  Louise.  "  It 
is  n't  like  the  United  States." 

"Glad    of    it.      The   Ameri- 
117 


CARLOTA 


cans  are  a  lot  of  pirates,"  retorted 
Carlota. 

"They  are  not!"  insisted  Mary 
Louise.  "  They  are  a  nation  of 
brave  men." 

"Brave  men!"  echoed  the 
daughter  of  Spain.  "  My  dear 
Senorita,  you  don't  know  the 
meaning  of  the  word  brave  unless 
you  know  about  the  Spanish  pio- 
neers and  what  they  did  in  this 
part  of  the  world  before  anybody 
ever  heard  of  the  United  States! 
Your  history  has  no  such  stories." 

Thoroughly  angry,  Carlota  told 
rapidly  one  tale  after  another  of 
Spanish  heroism  and  conquest. 

"  Now,  then,"  she  concluded, 
"who  were  your  great  men  in  the 
old  days  ?  Did  ever  a  man  take 
such  a  walk  as  our  De  Vaca  ? " 

118 


CARLOTA 


"  I  don't  know  about  walks," 
sobbed  Mary  Louise,  "but  I  do 
know  the  Padre  said  you  were  a 
sweet-tempered  child,  and  —  and 
you  act  worse  'n  a  grizzly  bear." 

"  Yes,  and  your  Uncle  Jack  said 
you  were  a  regular  little  saint,"  was 
Carlota's  remark.  "  Name  your 
great  men,  will  you,  name  one  if 
you  can  ?" 

"  George  Washington,"  was  the 
instant  response. 

^ What  did  he  do?" 

"He — he  never  told  a  lie." 

"  You  baby.  I  would  cry  if  I 
were  you,"  and  Carlota  walked 
away,  her  head  in  the  air. 

In  the  meantime  Yankee  trotted 
from  one  little  girl  to  the  other, 
seeming  uncertain  whether  to  de- 
clare in  favor  of  the  United  States 
119 


CARLOTA 


I 

or  Mexico.  At  last  he  jumped 
upon  the  adobe  wall  and  washed 
his  face  while  Carlota  went  in 
search  of  the  Padre,  and  Mary 
Louise  sought  her  mother. 


120 


ON  LISANDRO  GALLOPED  INTO 
HIS  OWN  COURTYARD,  BRINGING 
THE  NEWS  OF  THE  REVOLT' 


THE    FANDANGO 

ONE    morning,    early    in 
October,    Don    Lisandro 
galloped    into   his  own 
courtyard,  bringing  the 
news  of  the  revolt  in  Los  Angeles. 
"  The   Americanos    have   been 
forced  to  capitulate,"  said  he,  "and 
our  capital    is   once   more   in    the 
hands    of    Mexicans.      Flores    is 
elected  governor." 

Little    Spanish    children    never 
interrupt  their  parents,  and  Carlota 


121 


CARLOTA 


waited  half  an  hour  before  she 
found  an  opportunity  to  ask  her 
father  how  General  Flores  hap- 
pened to  be  fighting  again,  having 
once  been  captured  and  given  his 
liberty  on  parole. 

"  I  supposed  when  you  are  out 
on  parole,"  said  she,  "  that  you  had 
to  promise  not  to  bear  arms  against 
the  enemy.  I  thought  General 
Flores  had  honestly  promised  not 
to  fight  against  the  United  States." 

"  So  he  did,  and  many  another 
distinguished  Californian,"  ob- 
served Don  Lisandro,  "and  if 
captured  they  will  be  shot." 

"But,"  persisted  Carlota,  "it 
is  n't  honorable  to  break  your  word. 
A  good  man  would  n't  do  it." 

"  Children  should  not  criticise 
their  elders, "  said  her  father,  some- 


122 


CARLOTA 


what  sternly.  "  But  since  I  know 
you  meant  no  disrespect  I  will  try 
to  explain  this  to  you.  It  is  dis- 
honorable for  anyone  to  tell  a  lie, 
and  for  a  soldier  to  break  his 
parole  is  generally  considered  a 
very  mean  lie.  Neither  your  father 
nor  your  Uncle  Jose  would  fight 
the  Americanos  again  after  hav- 
ing been  given  their  freedom  on 
parole. 

"  General  Flores  and  some  of 
the  others  of  our  gallant  soldiers, 
however,  believe  that  in  this  case 
the  end  justifies  the  means,  and 
that  it  is  right  to  make  a  sacrifice 
of  their  personal  honor  in  defence 
of  their  country ;  and  they  know 
that  their  bravery  cannot  be  ques- 
tioned, for  they  take  the  terrible 

risk  of  being  shot  without  question 
123 


CARLOTA 


if  they  should  be  captured  a  second 
•       » 
time. 

"Oh!"  cried  poor  little  Carlota, 
not  understanding  exactly,  but  firm 
in  her  faith  in  her  father,  "  I  am  so 
glad  you  and  Uncle  Jose  will  not 
break  parole  if  you  are  captured 
and  allowed  to  go  ! " 

Then  Don  Lisandro  kissed  his 
brave  little  girl,  and  said : 

"We  will  have  a  fandango  and 
forget  war.  Uncle  Jose  is  coming 
out  to-night  and  a  dozen  officers 
with  him.  We'll  have  carnival 
merriment  if  you  choose." 

"Oh,  may  we  have  a  cascarone 
ball,  even  if  it  isn't  carnival  time?" 

"If  your  mother  is  willing  and 
you  and  Chona  wish  to  make  the 
cascarones." 

"The  Indian  servants  will  help," 
124 


j|[ 


CARLOTA 


said  Carlota,  as  she  ran  to  find  her 
mother. 

War  was  forgotten  until  in  the 
midst  of  the  preparations  for  the 
dance  in  the  great  hall,  Carlota 
thought  of  Mary  Louise. 

"  I  must  get  on  my  pony  and  go 
over  to  the  Mission  and  invite 
Jimmy  and  his  sister  and  their 
mother,"  said  she. 

"No  one  needs  an  invitation  to 
a  dance  in  southern  California," 
suggested  the  Dona  Ysabel. 
"  Surely  those  children  know  the 
custom  of  the  country;  every  one 
comes  from  far  and  near  to  attend 
a  fandango." 

"  I  imagine,  though,  that  Mary 
Louise  needs  a  little  coaxing," 
observed  Carlota,  feeling  thankful 

that  she  was  not  obliged  to  explain 

125 


1]  CARLOTA  H 

why  the  little  Americans  must  have 
a  special  invitation. 

The  Padre  persuaded  Mary 
Louise  and  her  mother  to  attend 
the  ball.  Jimmy  couldn't  be  con- 
vinced that  he  would  enjoy  that 
particular  fandango,  nor  did  he 
confess  to  his  mother  that  he  had 
reasons  for  not  wishing  to  meet 
the  owner  of  the  jewelled  sombrero. 
The  boy  cheated  himself  out  of  a 
jolly  time  by  not  understanding 
that  a  Spanish  gentleman  would 
never  be  rude  to  his  worst  enemy 
if  that  enemy  happened  to  be  his 
guest.  More  than  that,  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  Jimmy  could  have  found  an 
entertainment  more  satisfactory 
than  a  cascarone  ball. 

"You're    a    traitor    to    your 

country;"    he    told    Mary    Louise, 
126 


CARLOTA 


"  a  stand-by-your-flag  American 
would  n't  go  to  the  party.  Uncle 
Sam  will  have  a  great  opinion  of 
you." 

"  *  This  is  n't  a  children's  war,' ' 
quoted  Mary  Louise,  "  that's  what 
Carlota  said  her  mother  told  her 
before  she  came  over  to  invite  us, 
and,  anyway,  that  it  would  do  us 
all  good  to  forget  it  for  one  night." 

"But,  don't  you  see,"  Jimmy 
resumed,  "  you  might  happen  to 
be  right  in  a  battle  just  the  same. 
Suppose  Fremont's  men  should 
march  down  and  surround  the  Del 
Villars'  house.  Suppose  your 
father  should  take  Don  Lisandro 
prisoner  to-night  and  find  you  there 
at  the  enemies'  party.  Would  n't 
you  feel  proud  ?" 

"Now  see   here,   Jimmy    Rad- 

127 


CARLOTA 


cliff e,"  remarked  Mary  Louise 
with  unusual  spirit,  "you  may  go 
out  and  sit  in  the  burying  ground 
among  the  dead  Indians  if  you 
wish,  but  mamma  and  I  are  going 
to  the  fandango/' 

"All  right,  go  on.  But  you  just 
remember  that  Belgium  ball  in  the 
fourth  reader  where  they  were 
dancing  just  before  the  awful 
battle." 

"Nonsense,"  retorted  Mary 
Louise,  "you  '11  be  the  scared  one. 
Why,  Jimmy,  you  '11  be  almost 
alone  in  the  Mission;  the  Padre's 
going  with  us.  I  don't  want  to 
leave  you  here;  you  better  come 
too.  You'll  be  afraid." 

"Not  I.  Adios,  Senorita, 
American  muchacho  going  over  to 

the  guard-house." 
128 


CARLOTA 


"  Yes,  but  it  's  the  enemies' 
guard-house,"  were  the  little  sister's 
parting  words. 

At  first  when  Mary  Louise 
entered  the  great  hall  she  saw 
nothing  but  Mexican  flags;  but 
the  instant  Carlota  and  Chona 
greeted  her  with  smiling  faces  and 
outstretched  arms  and  the  military 
band  from  Los  Angeles  began  to 
play,  she  saw  lovely  Spanish  ladies 
in  gay  costumes  and  handsome  men 
in  jewel-trimmed  coats. 

"  Do  you  see  that  tall  officer  over 
there  ? "  whispered  Carlota  to  Mary 
Louise,  "  the  one  with  gold  lace 
on  his  trousers  and  silver  buttons 
on  a  green  velvet  jacket  ?  Well, 
he's  my  Uncle  Jose,  and  he's 
Governor  Pico's  cousin.  I  have 
had  such  good  times  at  his  rancho 

9  129 


CARLOTA 


near  San  Juan  Bautista.  His  little 
girls  look  like  our  baby  Rosita,  so 
you  may  know  they  are  pretty. 
Well,  he  's  the  dearest  uncle  in  the 
world,  and  he  loves  fun.  Now  you 
and  Chona  watch  while  I  go  and 
break  a  cascarone  on  his  head." 

"  What 's  a  cascarone  ?     Do  tell 
ii 
me. 

"  Oh,  don't  you  know  ?  It  is 
an  egg  shell  filled  with  cologne,  or 
else  gilt  or  any  kind  of  fancy  paper 
cut  in  tiny,  tiny  pieces.  The  open- 
ing in  the  egg  shell  is  sealed  with 
wax.  The  game  is  to  break  one 
on  somebody's  head  when  they 
don't  know  it,  and  then  just  as 
sure  as  anything  you  '11  get  one 
broken  on  your  own  head.  In  the 
dining-room  there  's  a  big  Indian 

basket  full  of  them." 
130 


CARLOTA 


"  I  wish  Jimmy  was  here,"  re- 
marked Mary  Louise.  "He'd  like 
that  game,  only  I  'd  be  dripping  all 
the  time." 

Carlota  laughed.  "  You  watch  me 
fool  Uncle  Jos£.  But,  Chona,  why 
don't  you  and  Mary  Louise  come 
and  give  him  a  good  soaking  too?" 

"  Wait,  then,"  and  Chona  darted 
across  the  hall  to  the  dining-room, 
returning  in  a  minute  with  two 
more  egg  shells. 

When  Uncle  Jos£  saw  the  three 
conspirators  approach,  he  smiled, 
and  gathering  Carlota  in  his  arms, 
placed  her  on  his  shoulder.  The 
next  minute  the  child  broke  an  egg 
shell  on  his  head.  Streams  of 
cologne  water  poured  over  the  Cali- 
fornian's  face,  rolling  into  his  neck 
and  filling  his  ears. 
131 


CARLOTA 


Putting  Carlota  on  her  feet  and 
bending  forward  to  shake  off  the 
cologne,  the  man  felt  another  bump 
on  his  head,  and  the  laughing  Chona 
was  urging  Mary  Louise  to  break 
her  cascarone  quickly,  that  Uncle 
Jose  should  have  a  double  shower. 
As  Mary  Louise  hesitated,  Carlota 
snatched  the  missile  and  the  third 
cascarone  poured  its  contents  down 
the  back  of  Uncle  Jose's  neck. 

"This  is  no  way  to  take  advan- 
tage of  a  gentleman,"  complained 
Uncle  Josd,  mopping  the  cologne 
with  a  big  handkerchief  and  shak- 
ing his  fist  at  the  delighted  chil- 
dren. "  N  ice  way  to  welcome  your 
uncle.  The  little  doll  girl  here  is 
a  lady  —  she  would  n't  behave  so 

badly.     What 's  your  name,  little 

•\ » 
one  r 

132 


CARLOTA 


"  Her  father  is  Senor  Thomas 
Radcliffe,"  whispered  Carlota, 
"  and  he's  up  north  with  Fremont's 


men." 


"Ah!"  exclaimed  Uncle  Jos6. 
"  El  Capitan  Radcliffe.  I  Ve  heard 
of  him." 

Little  did  the  Californian  dream 
when  and  under  what  circumstances 
he  would  meet  the  father  of  Mary 
Louise. 


133 


THE    ROBBER'S    SASH 


fw  '     ATE  in  the  evening  Mary 

f    Louise   entered    into    the 

^^    spirit  of  the  cascarone 

ball.     Not  once  did  the 

little  girl  break  an  egg  shell  except 

in  self-defence,  but  lest  some  one 

should    give   her   an   unexpected 

drenching,   she   kept   a   cascarone 

constantly  in  her  hand.     Twice  a 

handsome  man   showered    her    in 

gilt  paper  and  she  had  been  unable 

to  get  even  with  him.     He  seemed 

134 


CARLOTA 


to  be  a  stranger  and  had  a  way  of 
keeping  his  face  turned  from  the 
crowd.  The  hall  was  warm,  but 
the  man  wore  an  immense  serape 
and  didn't  remove  his  pointed  hat. 

At  last  the  stranger  broke  an 
egg  shell  filled  with  cologne  on 
the  child's  head,  when  she  followed 
him  to  an  outer  porch,  ready  with 
upraised  hand  to  let  him  know 
how  it  felt  to  be  soaked  in  cologne, 
if  she  should  catch  him.  That  was 
the  trouble.  Try  hard  as  she  would 
the  stranger  kept  out  of  reach.  Fi- 
nally, as  if  he  was  tired  of  running, 
the  man  sat  down  on  a  rustic  seat 
just  outside  a  little  summer  house 
leading  into  the  rose  garden. 

"  Better  give  up,  little  girl,"  he 
called,  laughing  heartily  as  he 
spoke. 

135 


CARLOTA 


Mary  Louise  intended  to  go  a 
few  steps  nearer,  throw  the  egg 
shell  in  the  man's  face,  and  then 
fly  back  to  the  hall.  The  next 
second  the  man  seized  her  and 
placing  one  big  hand  over  her 
mouth  said  this : 

"  Tell  me  quickly  where  Don 
Lisandro  keeps  his  bags  of  gold. 
Otherwise  away  you  go  to  the 
mountains  to  my  cave.  Listen. 
My  band  is  just  outside.  I  '11 
whistle  and  you  '11  hear  an  answer 
from  twenty  mounted  men." 

It  was  even  as  the  robber  said, 
but  it  happened  that  Carlota  was 
searching  for  Mary  Louise,  and 
coming  on  the  porch,  a  candle  held 
above  her  head,  she  saw  a  figure 
near  the  summer  house,  and  ran  in 

that  direction,  calling  to  her  guest 
136 


CARLOTA 


and  saying,  "Where  are  you,  you 
little  Americano,  where  are  you  ? " 

"Answer  her,"  commanded  the 
robber,  "say  you  chased  me  with 
a  cascarone.  We  '11  both  return 
to  the  hall,  and  if  you  tell  one 
word  of  what  has  happened  you'll 
be  sorry/' 

At  first  Carlota  was  satisfied : 
but  a  bit  of  scarlet  sash  escaped 
from  the  folds  of  the  serape  and 
flashing  her  candle  in  the  man's 
face  the  child  recognized  her  rob- 
ber, and  screamed.  Mary  Louise 
fled.  The  robber  started  toward 
the  desert,  but  Carlota  grabbed 
at  his  sash  and  hung  on,  at  the 
same  time  calling  for  the  help  she 
knew  would  come. 

The  man  drew  a  long  knife  from 

his  legging,  cut   the  sash  and  es- 

137 


CARLOTA 


caped.  Carlota  fell  backward,  the 
scarlet  sash  fluttered  to  the  ground, 
and  a  band  of  horsemen  galloped 
toward  the  mountains. 

If  the  United  States  army  had 
been  camped  outside  the  Casa  Del 
Villar  that  night,  the  ball  would 
have  gone  on  without  interruption 
so  long  as  the  enemy  remained 
quiet.  Finding  Carlota  safe  and 
rejoicing  in  the  possession  of  the 
costly  sash,  Don  Lisandro  and  his 
guests  danced,  until  dawn  revealed 
the  fact  that  every  valuable  saddle 
had  been  stolen  from  the  backs  of 
the  waiting  horses. 


138 


JIMMY   HELPS    MAKE   GUNPOWDER 


OBLIGED    to  return    to 
Los  Angeles  the  day  fol- 
lowing the  fandango,  Don 
Lisandro  sent  his  family 
with   five   Indian   servants  to   the 
Mission.      Mary  Louise  and   her 
mother  were  glad  to  welcome  them 
to  the  ruined  apartments  offered  by 
the  Padre. 

The    Dona    Ysabel    and    Mrs. 
Radcliffe  avoided    the  subject  of 
war,  each  thankful  for  the  other's 
139 


CARLOTA 


company.  Baby  Rosita  was  a  joy 
during  those  dreary  days.  She 
was  always  ready  for  a  romp  and 
soon  demanded  much  attention. 
As  for  Jimmy,  he  missed  his  op- 
portunity. Instead  of  teasing  three 
little  girls  who  were  at  that  time 
allowed  to  play  nowhere  outside 
the  Mission  grounds,  he  became 
interested  in  the  manufacture  of 
gunpowder. 

The  Californian  army  was 
poorly  equipped.  Their  principal 
cannon,  said  to  be  the  oldest  in 
the  world,  were  of  great  historic 
interest,  having  been  brought  from 
Spain  and  used  by  Cortez  in  the 
conquest  of  Mexico.  Every  old 
pistol  and  musket  in  the  country 
was  dragged  from  its  hiding  place, 

and  yet  there  were  not  enough  to 
140 


CARLOTA 


supply  the  demand.  Worst  of  all, 
ammunition  was  lacking. 

In  the  old  days,  gunpowder  was 
manufactured  in  San  Gabriel. 
Remembering  this,  Don  Lisandro 
ordered  a  large  amount  to  be  made 
at  the  guard-house  for  the  use  of 
the  Californian  army. 

In  the  village  of  San  Gabriel 
there  lived  a  man  known  among 
the  American  settlers  as  that 
"no-good  Yankee."  The  women 
called  him  "  shiftless."  He  and 
Jimmy  became  great  friends  after 
Uncle  Jack's  departure.  It  seemed 
to  the  boy  that  the  "no-good 
Yankee"  could  do  anything  he 
tried ;  but  he  was  such  a  lazy,  law- 
less scamp  Uncle  Jack  did  n't  con- 
sider him  fit  company  for  a  boy. 
This  "  no-good  Yankee  "  was  also 


CARLOTA 


popular  among  a  certain  class  of 
Mexicans,  particularly  the  kind 
who  were  usually  to  be  found  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  barracks. 

"  Know  a  thing  er  two  'bout 
gunpowder  myself,"  suggested  the 
Yankee,  winking  at  J  immy.  "  Let  's 
you  'n  me  give  the  Mexicanos  a 
helping  hand  ?  " 

That  was  the  beginning  of 
Jimmy's  interest  in  gunpowder. 

"Don't  you  see,  Jimmy,  you'n 
me  ain  't  doing  the  right  thing  by  our 
country's  flag.  You  ought  to  be  a 
drummer  boy  in  the  ranks  a-drum- 
ming  yourself  to  glory  'n  immortal 
fame,  and  I  ought  ter  be  a-facin' 
the  foe  a-gettin'  shot  to  pieces  every 
day  and  preparin'  a  pension  f  er  my 
old  age  and  a  chance  to  make 

speeches  to  conventions." 
142 


* 


f 


CARLOTA 


"That 's  what,"  laughed  Jimmy. 

"Well,  then,  Bub,  see  here:" 
and  the  Yankee,  looking  as  won- 
drous wise  as  the  man  who  jumped 
into  the  bramble  bush,  leaned  for- 
ward and  chuckled. 

"  You  'n  me  '11  have  a  hand  in 
the  makin'  of  that  gunpowder,  and 
it  won't  be  the  kind  they  used  in 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  You 
can  bet  on  that !  Come  a  step 
nearer,  Bub,  and  I  '11  explain." 

Cautiously  the  Yankee  unfolded 
a  scheme  for  tampering  with  the 
gunpowder  in  a  way  to  render  it 
practically  useless. 

One  lovely  day  in  November, 
Jimmy  overheard  this  conversation 
between  Carlota  and  his  sister. 

"  How  I  wish  we  were  living  in 
the  good  old  Mission  days,"  said 
143 


CARLOTA 


Carlota,  "  before  the  time  of  revo- 
lutions and  cruel  wars.  This  would 
be  such  a  perfect  world  to  live  in." 

Mary  Louise  buried  her  face  in 
a  rose  and  replied :  "  I  believe  I 
should  like  to  live  here  always, 
where  the  birds  sing  every  day  and 
there  is  no  winter,  if — if  California 
belonged  to  the  United  States  and 
the  soldiers  would  go  away." 

"If  that  happens,"  sighed  Car- 
lota,  "and  I  'm  sure  I  hope  it  never 
will,  our  family  will  have  to  go  back 
to  Old  Mexico  or  Spain.  But  I 
don't  believe  this  dreadful  war  will 
ever  end." 

"Oh,  yes,  it  will,"  Jimmy  proph- 
esied. "It'll  end  pretty  quick. 
Fizz — biff — don't  be  scared, girls, 
no  bang ! " 

"  How  silly  you  act,  Jimmy,"  re- 
144 


CARLOTA 


monstrated  Mary  Louise.  "  It  's 
just  because  you  're  always  with 
that  Yankee." 

"  That  's  all  you  know,"  was  the 
retort.  "  Maybe  that  sweet  Yankee 
and  General  James  RadclifTe'll  put 
an  end  to  the  war  before  Christmas." 

"  Don't  speak  of  Christmas," 
begged  Carlota.  "  Uncle  Jose  and 
all  his  folks  were  coming  to  our 
house  for  the  holidays,  and  now,  — 
who  knows  what  will  become  of 
Uncle  Josd  before  Christmas. 
You  better  not  forget  he  's  out  on 
parole." 

"  If  all  the  Mexicans  were  like 
your  father  and  your  uncle,"  said 
Mary  Louise,  slowly,  "  I  wouldn't 
mind  being  Spanish." 

"And  if  all  the  men  in  the  United 
States  were  like  your  Uncle  Jack," 

10  I4S 


CARLOTA 


Carlota  added  quickly,  "  I  'd  feel 
different  about  the  American  flag." 
"  And  if  all  the  soldiers  on  both 
sides  were  such  softies  as  you,  there 
would  n't  be  anything  said  'bout  the 
importance  of  gunpowder.  You 
two  just  wait." 


TO   SAVE   A   SPANISH    GENTLEMAN 


LACK  BIRD  returned  to 
the  Mission  one  morning 
in  December  bearing 
dreadful  news.  Carlota 
saw  him  as  he  dashed  past  the 
barracks,  leaped  from  his  horse, 
and  ran  into  the  chapel. 

"  Why,  Blackbird,"  exclaimed  the 
child.  "  Blackbird,  what  can  be  the 
trouble ! " 

It  required  all  her  strength 
to  force  the  great  doors  open 

H7 


CARLOTA 


wide  enough  to  admit  her  small 
body,  for  Blackbird  had  closed 
them  the  instant  he  gained  an 
entrance. 

"  Blackbird,  where  are  you  ?  " 
demanded  Carlota,  trying  to  ac- 
custom her  eyes  to  the  dim  interior. 

"  Hush,  no  noise,  Senorita,"  whis- 
pered Blackbird,  when  Carlota  dis- 
covered him  hiding  behind  the 
baptismal  font  in  the  small  vault- 
like  room  opening  off  the  chapel. 
"  Come  in.  Shut  the  door." 

Blackbird  had  always  been  con- 
sidered harmless,  but  the  wild  ex- 
pression of  his  face  frightened 
Carlota.  Standing  just  inside 
the  room,  in  the  deep  hollow  of  the 
stone  floor,  a  hollow  worn  by  the 
feet  of  long  forgotten  Indians,  she 

said,  "  One  minute,  and  then  I  will 
148 


CARLOTA 


go.      Where    have   you    been    all 
summer  ? " 

"  San  Juan  Bautista.  Blackbird 
afraid  to  stay  here.  Big  robbers 
in  the  mountains.  Americanos  kill 
everybody.  Blackbird  ran  away." 

"Were  you  on  my  uncle's 
rancho  ? "  continued  Carlota. 

Terror  overspread  Blackbird's 
face  as  he  cowered  closer  to  the 
floor  and  nodded  in  reply  to  the 
question. 

"  Blackbird,  what  is  the  matter  ? 
Tell  me  quickly." 

"  Fremont  marching  south,"  chat- 
tered the  Indian.  "  Americanos 
kill  us  all.  Blackbird  afraid.  Got 
your  Uncle  Jos6  —  going  to  shoot 
him!" 

Carlota  sprang  forward,  seized 

Blackbird    by  the    shoulders    and 
149 


CARLOTA 


repeated,  "  They  have  my  Uncle 
Jos6 !  They  're  going  to  shoot 
him!  When?  Where?  Tell  me 
quickly  ? " 

A  dull  look  was  the  only  answer  as 
the  Indian  muttered,  "  Americanos 
catch  Blackbird  —  kill  him  sure." 

Uncle  Jos6  had  been  caught 
inside  the  American  lines  in 
civilian  clothes  seeking  information 
concerning  General  Fremont's 
plans.  He  had  been  tried  as  a 
spy  and  sentenced  to  be  shot. 

There  was  not  a  moment  to 
lose.  Carlota  gave  the  Indian  a 
shake  and  cried :  "  Tell  my  mother 
I  Ve  gone  to  Los  Angeles  to  see 
my  father.  We  must  save  Uncle 
Jose.  Do  you  hear?" 

"No  sabe.    No  sabe,"  grumbled 

the  Indian. 

150 


CARLOTA 


"  But  you  must  listen  to  this," 
cried  Carlota.  "  Tell  my  mother 
I  Ve  gone  to  Los  Angeles  to  my 
father." 

"Americanos  kill  Carlota," 
warned  the  Indian,  but  the  child 
flew  from  the  chapel. 

Chona's  pony,  Babita,  was  tied 
to  the  pepper-tree  beside  the  stair- 
way leading  to  the  choir  loft. 
Springing  into  the  saddle  Carlota 
galloped  away  from  the  Mission 
without  a  further  word  of  explana- 
tion or  thought  of  personal  danger. 

"  We  can't  save  him,  my  child," 
groaned  Don  Lisandro,  when 
Carlota  found  her  father. 

"  We  must,  we  must,"  was  the  re- 
ply. "We'll  find  General  Fremont 
and  beg  him  to  spare  Uncle  Jose. 
If  we  only  get  there  in  time." 


CARLOTA 


"  I  shall  send  an  escort  back  to 
the  Mission  with  you,"  observed 
Don  Lisandro,  "  and  start  imme- 
diately, although  it  is  useless  and 
I  shall  be  taken  prisoner." 

"Oh,  but  I  must  go  too,  I  must, 
I  must ! "  Carlota  entreated,  sobs 
choking  her  words. 

"It  will  be  a  terrible  ride,"  ob- 
jected her  father,  "all  day,  all  night, 
perhaps." 

"  It 's  to  save  Uncle  Jos6,"  urged 
Carlota.  "The  general  might 
listen  to  me!  I  must  go!" 

Two  fresh  horses  were  saddled, 
and  father  and  daughter  began  the 
perilous  trip. 

At  dawn  the  following  day,  after 
changing  horses  many  times,  they 
reached  Fremont's  camp. 

Jos6   Pico   was    to    be    shot    at 
152 


CARLOTA 


noon.  Gaining  admittance  to  the 
presence  of  the  American  chief, 
Carlota  and  her  father  found  him 
besieged  by  relatives  and  friends 
of  the  doomed  man ;  wife,  children, 
neighbors,  all  weeping,  wringing 
their  hands,  and  begging  for 
mercy. 

It  was  an  agonizing  scene.  An 
American  officer,  the  man  who  cap- 
tured Pico,  who  was  standing  be- 
side Fremont,  turned  his  face  to 
the  wall  when  Carlota  burst  into 
their  midst,  and  throwing  herself 
at  Fremont's  feet,  in  grief-stricken 
accents  begged  for  her  uncle's  life. 
A  moment  more,  and  Don  Lisan- 
dro,  the  proud,  haughty  enemy  of 
all  Americans,  fell  upon  his  knees, 
beseeching  for  mercy,  and  vowing 
to  offer  no  further  resistance  to  the 
153 


CARLQTA 


conquerors  if  one  Spanish  gentle- 
man might  be  spared  to  his  family. 

Fremont,  unable  to  endure  more, 
pronounced  the  promise  of  pardon. 
Despair  was  followed  by  tumultu- 
ous joy.  At  a  word  from  Fremont, 
the  American  who  was  standing 
beside  him  bowed,  left  the  room, 
and  returned  with  the  condemned 
man.  Calm,  quiet,  and  composed, 
Uncle  Jose  stood  before  his  judge. 
No  shadow  of  emotion  had  crossed 
his  face  in  the  presence  of  friend 
or  enemy  since  he  had  listened  to 
the  sentence  of  death. 

Breathless  silence  ensued,  while 
Fremont  spoke  the  magic  words 
of  pardon.  It  was  then  Uncle 
Jose  broke  down  and  with  his 
little  children  clinging  about  his 
neck,  he,  too,  knelt  at  Fremont's 
154 


CARLOTA 


feet  and  promised  never  again  to 
bear  arms  against  the  United 
States. 

Later  the  American  officer  was 
introduced  to  both  Don  Lisandro 
and  Uncle  Jose.  Carlota  rejoiced 
to  learn  that  he  was  Jimmy's  father. 

"Americanos  are  brave,  generous 
men,"  she  said  to  Don  Lisandro, 
when  he  told  her  that  after  a  long 
talk  with  Fremont  he  was  con- 
vinced that  the  best  thing  for  his 
unhappy  country  was  to  be  under 
the  protection  of  the  United  States 
government. 

"  I  never  used  to  let  Mary  Louise 
know  it,"  laughed  Carlota,  "  but  I 
always  have  thought  there  could  n't 
be  a  prettier  flag  than  the  Stars  and 
Stripes.'1 


155 


BATTLE    OF    SAN    GABRIEL 


ON   that  day  in  the  middle 
of  December,  when  Uncle 
Jose  was  pardoned,  Don 
Lisandro  resigned  his 
command    and    returned    to    the 
Mission.      The    Americans    were 
marching   upon    Los    Angeles. 
General    Kearny,    after    taking 
possession   of    New   Mexico,  had 
arrived  with  troops  from  the  East. 
The  twenty-seventh  of  December, 

Fremont,  on  his  southward  march, 

156 


CARLOTA 


entered  Santa  Barbara  and  two 
days  later  forces  under  General 
Kearny  and  Commodore  Stockton 
left  San  Diego  with  the  purpose 
of  meeting  Fremont  at  the  capital. 
These  facts  Carlota's  father 
learned  from  messengers  sent  by 
friends  who  had  agreed  to  keep 
him  informed  of  the  movements 
of  the  United  States  troops.  There 
was  a  rumor  that  the  Mexicans 
threatened  to  destroy  the  Mission 
and  to  spare  neither  women  nor 
children.  The  Padre  and  Don 
Lisandro  were  making  prepara- 
tions for  the  defence  of  those  dear 
to  them  when  Uncle  Jack  arrived  at 
the  head  of  a  small  force  and 
camped  outside  the  walls.  Jimmy 
visited  the  camp,  returning  with 
tales  of  war  and  bloodshed  that 
157 


CARLOTA 


frightened  the  little  girls  until  even 
he  was  satisfied. 

Carlota  overheard  many  a 
serious  talk  between  her  father 
and  the  Padre.  She  gathered  that 
the  cause  of  the  Californians  was 
hopeless.  If  the  United  States 
failed  to  take  possession  of  the 
country,  then  it  would  fall  into  the 
hands  of  England  or  Russia ;  but 
there  was  no  question  of  failure  on 
the  part  of  the  American  troops 
during  those  closing  days  of  the 
war.  The  Californians  were  few 
in  number  and  poorly  equipped. 
Their  gunpowder  had  proved  use- 
less in  many  a  recent  fight.  The 
"no-good  Yankee"  had  disap- 
peared, and  Jimmy  avoided  the 
subject  of  gunpowder. 

One  day  early  in  January,  when 
158 


CARLOTA 


the  troops  were  closing  in  upon 
Los  Angeles,  Carlota  sought  the 
Padre. 

"  You  told  my  father  last  night 
that  you  believe  peace  may  have 
been  declared,  and  that  war  be- 
tween the  United  States  and 
Mexico  is  at  an  end,  —  that  that 
is  the  report." 

"  True,  my  daughter,  war  was 
declared  months  before  the  news 
reached  the  Pacific  coast/' 

"Well,"  continued  the  child, 
"  Mary  Louise  is  crying  all  the 
time,  and  worrying  for  fear  her 
father  will  be  killed,  and  I  don't 
like  to  think  that  all  our  old 
friends  in  Los  Angeles  may  be 
shot  to  pieces,  and  nobody  knows 
what  will  become  of  us  here  at  the 
Mission!  My  father  says  he  won't 
159 


|| 


CARLOTA 


fight  against  his  own  flag  unless 
he  is  obliged  to  do  so  ;  but,  if  they 
come  here  and  attack  the  Mission, 
he  will  defend  himself  and  his 
family  even  against  those  who 
were  his  best  friends." 

Carlota  paused,  shrugged  her 
shoulders,  and  went  on  rapidly, 
"  Now,  what  's  the  use  of  it  all  ? 
The  Franciscans  are  peacemakers. 
Won't  you  go  to  General  Flores 
and  beg  him  to  make  peace?  Oh, 
dear  !  When  you  know  you  may 
be  right  in  a  battle  any  minute,  you 
begin  to  feel  as  if  war  is  a  dreadful 
thing.  I  don't  care  if  Jimmy  does 
say  I  'm  a  coward.  Won't  you  go 
and  talk  with  General  Flores  ?  " 

"  I  will,"  agreed  the  Padre.  "  I 
have  thought  of  it  before.  Flores 
is  an  old  friend  of  mine." 

160 


jl  CARLOTA  ~~|ij 


So  it  came  about  that  General 
Flores  sent  two  men  to  meet  the 
American  army  on  its  march  from 
San  Diego.  These  men  bore  a 
letter  asking  for  a  cessation  of  hos- 
tilities, and  suggesting  that  as  news 
had  been  received  from  Old  Mex- 
ico to  the  effect  that  peace  had 
been  declared  between  Mexico  and 
the  United  States,  it  might  be  well 
to  learn  the  terms  of  settlement 
before  shedding  more  blood. 

The  Padre  stayed  in  Los  An- 
geles several  days  before  returning 
to  the  Mission,  but  he  sent  word 
by  Antonio  Moreno  that  Flores 
had  complied  with  his  request. 

"  Oh,  I  hope  it's  all  over  now," 
exclaimed  Carlota,  smiling  at  the 
anxious  mothers  gathered  on  the 
Padre's  veranda.  "  I  used  to  think 

n  161 


CARLOTA 


I  was  brave  but  my  teeth  chatter  at 
the  very  thought  of  a  cannon  ball 
whizzing  through  the  air." 

"If  General  Flores  has  asked 
the  Americans  to  wait  a  while  they 
will  do  it,"  added  Mary  Louise,  the 
least  ghost  of  a  smile  appearing  on 
her  pale  face.  "I  used  to  think, 
too,  that  I  wished  I  was  at  Bunker 
Hill,  but  I  didn't  know  what  I  was 
talking  about." 

"I  still  wish  it,"  remarked 
J  immy. 

"Yes,  you  do,"  mocked  his  sis- 
ter. "Why,  Carlota,  he's  getting 
thin  he's  so  frightened.  Wish  you 
had  been  at  Bunker  Hill,  indeed!" 

"I  mean,"  explained  Jimmy,  "  I 
wish  I  were  there  now." 

At  that  moment  Blackbird  ran 

across  the  courtyard  and  hid  behind 
162 


CARLQTA 


Carlota's  mother,  wrapping  his  head 
in  her  skirts. 

"Why,  Blackbird,  what's  the 
trouble  now?"  asked  the  Senora 
Ysabel. 

"  They  're  coming,  they're  com- 

» 
ing. 

"Who  are  coming?" 

"The  Americanos." 

Kvery  face  grew  white.  Were 
the  soldiers  at  the  very  gates? 
How  could  it  be?  The  Padre  ap- 
peared in  time  to  prevent  a  panic. 

"  There  is  no  immediate  cause 
for  alarm,"  said  he.  "Commodore 
Stockton  refused  to  consider  peace 
because  he  once  released  Flores  on 
parole.  We  must  be  ready." 

There  was  but  little  sleep  at  the 
Mission  that  night.  No  one  in 

San  Gabriel  had   dreamed  that  a 

163 


CARLOTA 


decisive  battle  would  be  fought  al- 
most under  the  shadow  of  the 
chapel  walls,  and  great  was  their 
surprise  when  dawn  revealed  the 
Californians  in  position  on  a  bluff 
above  the  river.  They  had  mus- 
tered their  forces  and  there  waited 
the  coming  of  the  Americans. 

All  was  confusion  at  the  Mis- 
sion. The  women  and  children, 
with  the  terrified  Blackbird,  hur- 
ried to  the  chapel,  although  Jimmy 
managed  to  escape  unseen.  It 
seemed  to  the  boy  more  horrible 
to  be  imprisoned  within  those  thick 
walls  during  the  din  of  battle  than 
to  skulk  around  outside  and  watch 
proceedings.  The  windows  in  the 
chapel  were  high  above  reach. 

When    Mary    Louise   missed 

Jimmy  her  grief  was  pitiful.     Mrs. 

164 


CARLOTA 


Radcliffe  was  about  to  venture  in 
search  of  him  when  a  big  door 
swung  partly  open  and  a  small 
body  was  thrown  in  by  Antonio 
Moreno,  who  accompanied  the 
action  by  vigorous  speech  to  the 
effect  that  Jimmy  was  a  very  foolish 
boy. 

"  I  don't  want  to  stay  here,"  ex- 
claimed Jimmy,  scrambling  to  his 
feet  in  spite  of  bruises.  "  I  guess 
I  know  enough  to  keep  out  of 
danger." 

"Oh!"  screamed  Carlota,  "he 
has  papa's  jewelled  sombrero  !  Oh, 
oh,  oh!  Has  anything  happened 
to  my  father  ?  " 

"Nope.  He's  all  right,"  said 
Jimmy.  "  My  !  Is  n't  he  brave, 
though?  He  went  right  up  to 
General  Flores  and  told  him  he 


CARLOTA 


ought  to  surrender.  Said  the 
Americanos  were  generous  and 
would  pardon  him  for  breaking  his 
parole  if  he  did  ;  but  even  if  he 
was  shot  he  ought  to  give  up  a 
lost  cause  for  the  sake  of  his 
countrymen.  That  made  Flores 
awful  mad,  and  he  drew  a  pistol 
and  shot  right  at  your  father.  He 
missed  him,  though,  but  the  bullet 
shot  Don  Lisandro's  sombrero 
right  off  his  head  !  Then  your 
father  got  on  his  horse  and  started 
slowly  away.  Then  they  all  began 
to  shoot  at  him,  but  he  began  to 
gallop  then,  and  they  could  n't  hit 
him.  Now  he  's  safe  with  Uncle 
Jack  and  his  men.  He  must  have 
felt  awfully  sad,  though,  because 
he  was  crying  like  a  baby.  But 
he  was  n't  scared  of  them  a  bit  ! 

166 


CARLOTA 


I  sneaked  out  and  got  the  som- 
brero before  the  jewels  were  lost. 
I  tell  you,  Carlota,  it  was  quiet  as 
Sunday  in  Mexico  by  that  time, 
where  your  father  had  galloped  by; 
but  Antonio  came  along  just  then, 
looking  for  him,  I  guess,  and  he 
must  have  been  pretty  mad  when 
he  saw  me,  the  way  he  jerked  me 
into  his  saddle  and  threw  me  in 
here.  I  Ve  had  enough  of  war, 
though." 

"  So  have  we  all,"  shuddered 
Carlota. 

A  moment  later  a  wounded  man 
was  brought  into  the  chapel.  It 
was  Antonio  Moreno,  who  proved 
to  be  not  seriously  injured  and  was 
angry  at  the  thought  of  having 
fainted  in  his  saddle.  Carlota's 

mother    and     Mrs.     Radcliffe 

167 


CARLOTA 


wouldn't  allow  him  to  leave  the 
chapel. 

"  Tell  us  what  's  going  on  ?  " 
begged  J  immy.  "  Anybody  getting 
killed?" 

Bit  by  bit  Antonio  told  the  little 
he  knew.  El  Capitan  Radcliffe 
had  been  sent  ahead  with  a  de- 
tachment just  in  time  for  the 
battle.  The  Americans  escaped 
destruction  when  crossing  the 
nearly  dry  river-bed  only  because 
the  Californians  resisted  their  ad- 
vance with  gunpowder  that  was 
worthless.  It  carried  cannon  balls 
a  little  way  and  then  let  them 
drop. 

Soon  a  number  of  slightly 
wounded  men  were  brought  into 
the  chapel.  Even  the  children 
helped  to  care  for  them.  Sounds 

1  68 


CARLOTA 


of  battle  came  nearer  and  nearer 
the  Mission.  Jimmy  discovered 
a  perilous  way  to  climb  into  the 
choir  loft  where,  reaching  a  small 
window,  he  watched  the  scene  be- 
low. Carlota  scrambled  after  the 
boy,  but  turned  away  satisfied  with 
one  glimpse  through  the  window. 
"Oh,  Jimmy,  Jimmy,  come 
down,"  she  begged.  "It  is  awful." 


[69 


THE    AMERICAN    FLAG 


*W    ^  ALF  an  hour  later  Jimmy 

j^   shouted,  "The  Americans 

^  F   are  coming  straight  on  and 

the  Californians  are  falling 

back!      We're  sure  to  come  out 

ahead !    1 1  's  our  victory !    Our  side 

will  win  —  it  has  won  ! " 

Climbing  down  from  the  choir 
loft  the  boy  ran  to  Carlota. 

"  Do   you'  s'pose   there's    an 
American  flag  in  this  place  ? "  said 

he. 

170 


CARLOTA 


An  American  flag  in  the  chapel 
of  San  Gabriel  Mission!  A 
wounded  soldier,  one  who  had 
come  overland  from  Massachusetts 
to  settle  in  California,  grinned  at 
the  remark. 

"  Shades  of  brown  Padres  and 
glory  of  old  Spain  ! "  he  chuckled. 
"An  American  flag  here!" 

"Of  course  there  isn't  one!" 
answered  Carlota.  "  Six  weeks 
ago  I  should  have  torn  an  Amer- 
ican flag  in  rags  with  my  own 
hands  if  any  one  had  dared  wave  it 
here!  But  what  shall  we  do?  We 
need  a  flag!  My  father  and  Uncle 
Jose  say  that  they  think  California 
will  be  better  off  under  the  Stars 
and  Stripes,  and  they  know  what 
is  right." 

"  Too  bad  you  tore  up  this  here 

171 


CARLOTA 


red  bandana  of  mine,"  suggested  a 
Yankee  with  bandaged  head  and 
arm  in  a  sling,  "you  could  have 
used  it  fer  the  red  stripes,  and 
Mikey  Malone's  countenance  over 
there  'd  a-answered  fer  the  blue, 
and  the  Spanish  lady's  head  rig- 
ging would  do  fer  the  white/' 

"  Oh,"  cried  Carlota,  "  I  know 
what  we  '11  do,  we  '11  make  a  flag, 
of  course.  I  '11  give  the  robber's 
sash  for  the  red,  mamma's  scarf 
for  the  white"  — 

"  And  —  I—  I  —  I  —  don't  you 
see  my  dress  is  blue!"  offered  Mary 
Louise. 

"Yank  her  off,"  commented 
Jimmy. 

"  But  the  robber's  sash  is  in  the 
room  where  Chona  and  I  sleep," 

objected  Carlota,  "and  I  'm  afraid 

172 


CARLOTA 


* 

to  go  alone  with  bullets  whistling 
around." 

"  I  '11  go  with  you,"  said  Mrs. 
Radcliffe;  "there's  a  doorway 
back  of  the  altar  leading  into  the 
Padre's  rooms  and  we  can  go  all 
the  way  under  shelter." 

"  Oh,  don't  go,  don't  go!"  wailed 
Mary  Louise,  clinging  to  her 
mother's  skirts. 

"Shut  up!  can't  you?"  roared 
Jimmy.  The  minute  his  mother's 
back  was  turned  he  said  to  Mary 
Louise:  "  All  you  Ve  got  to  do  in 
the  conquest  of  California  is  to  keep 
your  mouth  shut  and  you  won't  do 
that !  What  have  you  done  for 
your  country,  I  'd  like  to  know? 
Did  you  help  make  gunpowder?" 

"You  did  that  for  the  Mexicans," 
retorted  Mary  Louise,  shuddering 
173 


CARLOTA 


as  the  adobe  walls  of  the  chapel 
were  shaken  by  a  crash. 

"  Mary  Louise,  that 's  all  you 
know!  That  Yankee  and  I  and 
some  other  fellers  spoiled  that 
powder,  do  you  sabe  ? " 

"How  did  you  dare?"  asked 
Jimmy's  sister. 

"It  was  risky,"  admitted  the 
boy,  thrusting  his  hands  in  his 
pockets  and  giving  his  cap  a  back- 
ward tip.  "  I  Ve  done  my  part  for 
Uncle  Sam." 

"And  I  'm  going  to  give  up  this 
pretty  blue  dress  that  Aunt  Martha 
sent  me  from  Philadelphia,"  added 
Mary  Louise,  "  and  that 's  some- 
thing." 

Mrs.  Radcliffe  and  Car  lota 
quickly  returned,  the  red  sash 

trailing    through    the    air    behind 

174 


CARLOTA 


them  as  Carlota  lifted  it  above 
her  head  and  ran  toward  the 
children. 

"I  brought  all  the  needles, 
scissors,  and  thread  I  could  find,  so 
every  woman  and  child  here  may 
work,"  said  Mrs.  Radcliffe,  at  the 
same  time  taking  off  her  little  girl's 
blue  dress  and  slipping  on  a  fresh 
white  one. 

Carlota's  mother  removed  the 
beautiful  scarf  she  had  been  wear- 
ing on  her  head,  giving  Jimmy  a 
chance  to  show  his  skill  in  cutting 
stars. 

Time  passed  more  quickly  after 
work  was  begun  on  the  American 
flag,  although  the  fingers  that 
threaded  needles  were  unsteady. 
When  it  seemed  to  Carlota  and 
Mary  Louise  that  they  could  be 
175 


CARLOTA 


patient  no  longer,  Uncle  Jose  burst 
into  the  chapel  announcing  that 
the  Californians  were  in  full  re- 
treat and  out  of  range  of  the 
enemy's  guns. 

"  El  Capitan  Radcliffe  is  safe/' 
he  declared,  bowing  to  Mrs.  Rad- 
cliffe, the  only  American  woman 
in  the  chapel. 

"And  —  and  papa?"  questioned 
Carlota. 

"  Is  all  right,"  was  the  reply. 
"He  has  gone  after  Flores  to 
advise  him  to  hasten  north  to  San 
Fernando  to  meet  Fremont  and 
surrender  to  him.  Stockton 
threatens  to  shoot  every  Mexican 
who  has  broken  his  parole  —  you 
know  what  that  means." 

"  Death  to  many  of  our  friends," 

groaned   the    Senora    Ysabel. 
176 


CARLOTA 


"Won't  the  American  troops  over- 
take Flores?  Is  there  any  chance 
for  them  to  escape  ?  And  is  n't  my 
husband  in  danger  from  Flores  ?  " 

"I  am  sure  not,"  said  Don  Jose. 
"He  is  calmer  by  now,  and  un- 
doubtedly sorry  for  shooting  at 
your  husband  in  a  moment  of 
passion.  He  will  warn  them  of 
their  danger  in  time,"  he  added, 
"  and  by  avoiding  Los  Angeles 
they  are  saved.  Stockton  proposes 
to  camp  here  on  the  battle-field  for 
the  rest  of  the  day  and  to-night. 
To-morrow  morning  we  will  march 
in  and  take  possession  of  the  cap- 
ital. Listen,  children,  the  Ameri- 
can band  is  playing." 

"Oh,  it's '  Hail  Columbia,  Happy 
Land,'"  shouted  Mary  Louise, 
while  the  wounded  soldiers,  Jimmy, 


CARLOTA 


and  Mrs.  Radcliffe  took  up  the 
refrain. 

Antonio  Moreno  struggled  to 
his  feet,  and  threw  wide  open  the 
chapel  doors.  Nearer  and  nearer 
came  the  stirring  music,  while 
every  one  who  could  stand  or  crawl 
rushed  outside,  shouting  and  sing- 
ing in  excitement. 

Seizing  the  completed  flag,  Car- 
lota  ran  with  it  up  the  old  stone 
stairway,  and  tied  it  swiftly  and 
firmly  to  the  iron  railing  at  the  top. 
A  breeze  from  the  sea  caught  the 
flag  and  waved  it  triumphantly  over 
the  old  Mission. 

The  crowd  below,  for  a  crowd 
had  gathered,  saw  the  flag,  and  gave 
cheer  upon  cheer,  tossing  their  hats 
in  the  air  and  embracing  one  an- 
other. An  instant  later  a  salute 
178 


mmsnam 


«IED   IT   SWIFTLY  AND    FIRM- 
LY TO  THE  IRON  RAILING" 


CARLOTA 


was  fired  from  the  battle-field.  The 
soldiers  had  seen  the  scarlet  stripes 
and  white  stars. 

The  band  was  playing  "  Three 
Cheers  for  the  Red,  White,  and 
Blue/'  when  Carlota  climbed  upon 
the  adobe  wall  beside  the  children 
who  were  watching  the  brave  bit 
of  color  floating  out  against  the 
blue  sky.  Yankee  was  with  them, 
purring  proudly  as  became  an 
American  cat. 

"It's  my  flag  now,"  exclaimed 
Carlota,  "my — our  beautiful  flag." 


179 


» 
4 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


MAR  3     1952 


HAR3lt9S4 
>R 


ante 


Form  L9-10m-3,'48(A7920)444 


. 


